Greatness 101


 Growing up I was quite the dreamer. I loved to read autobiographies and biographies about great men and women who changed the world. I desperately wanted to do and be remembered for something grand.

 I remember saying, once, that I didn't want to marry an ordinary guy, I wanted to marry a dreamer of impossible dreams; and I was only six years old! Like anyone else, I went through a plethora of different dreams. From being a fearless astronaut to being a compassionate princess, I was full of possibilities. The only thing about it was that I got my idea of great from people's perspective.

 When God first started to reveal His calling to me, I was a little hesitant. It wasn't quite as grandiose as my own plans... at least I didn't think so. In fact, His plan didn't have the least bit of my name being well known. Oh, wait a minute...

 You see, that's where we as humans, miss out on true greatness. We think greatness is determined by fame, money, and power. Our eyes are completely focused on us instead of others. It's not about making our names known, it's about making His name known.

 The truly great people we admire were not bent on being famous. They simply believed that they held the key to helping someone else and refused to give up. Whereas the people we remember for ruining other people's lives, were completely focused on selfish gain, such as fame, money, and power.

 Is it wrong to want to do something great? Absolutely not! But what standard of great are we talking about? God's standard of great has people in mind, culture's standard of great has only "me" in mind.

 When the disciples were arguing over who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, their motives were purely selfish. But look at Jesus' response:

About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”
 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:1-4 NLT)

 He pointed them to a child!
Why is that? Because a young child trusts easily, says yes without needing all the details, and considers everything with excitement. The example of a child shows us that greatness is determined by how you say yes to Jesus.

 Saying yes to His plan is far from boring. It is a continual adventure full of true greatness and purpose. God's plan for you is distinctly unique, perfect for you, with the welfare of the people around you, in mind. Your world will say "Thank you!" for accepting the plan of God for your life.

 Remember, there is nothing insignificant about God's plan for you.
Whether you're a stay-at-home mom or a world evangelist, you can be sure that if you have said yes to Jesus, you are indeed changing the world.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

His Gift to You

Image
Here it is Christmas Eve... Tears, I promised myself wouldn't fall, are slowly making their way down my face. My heart is missing someone very dear to me and the silence is excruciating. Another Christmas has arrived but they are not. So here I am penning this post to remind my heart of the reason for this Christmas season. If your heart is heavy this Christmas, you are not alone. There is One who understands your pain deeply and intimately.  "He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care." Isaiah 53:3 (New Living Translation) "He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." Isaiah 53:3 (New King James Version) It’s ok for the tears to fall. He counts them all and one day you will see Him paint a masterpiece that rivals an...
Read more

Dig In Your Heels

Image
  Have you ever competed in a game of tug of war? In one of the youth groups I attended as a teenager, we were known as the tug of war champions at the summer camp we went to. The volleyball tournaments and go-kart races were not where we excelled, no matter how hard we tried. It was only the tug of war match that won our youth group trophies. Now, we were not necessarily the champions because we had the biggest and strongest guys on our team, although we did have some of those. The reason for our victories was due to the fact that, once our team got on the sandy terrain where they would be competing, they would begin to dig their feet into the sand. You could not even see their feet by the time the competition commenced! The other teams never noticed nor attempted to do the same. It was the winning secret that delighted our youth group for years. The best way to prepare to win is to anchor your feet. Your body position must be balanced in order to withstand the pressure that will ...
Read more

Why I'm Still Single

Image
   As I was reading an article about relationships, it sparked a burning desire to share my heart on the matter.   Like every other decision in life, who you decide to spend time with is a choice that should be guided by the Holy Spirit. Only He knows who will truly be a friend to you and help you reach your destiny, or who could ultimately destroy you.  I'm a girl just like every other girl. Since childhood my ultimate dream has been to be a wife and mother. I imagined my wedding day, played mommy with my baby dolls... the whole nine yards. However, I made some big life commitments at a young age.  While I was still a pre-teen, I made the decision not to date. My parents didn't make that decision for me but I'm pretty sure they were glad I did. I wanted my teen years to be years of developing myself into the young woman God had called me to be. I wanted to solidify who I am, what my dreams are, and who God is to me. My focus was to develop my relationships...
Read more