For example, when Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky entered their perspective fields of sport - they both redefined what it meant to be great at basketball and hockey. And ever since then players in both these fields have been compared to these two great men, and many covet the label of being the next Jordan or Gretzky. These men are the "greats" in their field.
Lately I have been craving greatness, and I think where this desire comes from is a place of deep hunger to feel purposeful in this world. I want to be effective, in all areas of my life: I want a great marriage, a great ministry, to be a great sister and friend and leader. But what I am slowly realizing is that greatness in the realm of faith is not like worldly greatness.
We are not meant to become great as the world sees greatness.
We are meant to make God greater, as John the Baptist said, "He must become greater, I must become less" (John 3:30). I love the way the Message translation puts it, "This is the assigned moment for him to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines."
And I think I know this, in my core - that life isn't all about me - and yet I have lived so much of my life acting like I am the center of the universe. My goals have been personal happiness, success, fulfillment, and fame.
Even those times when I have gotten angry with God for one trial or another has come from a place of selfishness - whatever was happening was not what was best for me, it was not making me happy.
And so I need this constant reminder that my personal happiness is not, in fact, God's goal. God's goal is both personal and communal redemption. It is our restoration; our sanctification.
But I tend to get so focused on myself that I forget everyone else. I forget that my life is just one part of a whole. I am part of a family, a community, a marriage. Who I am and what I do impacts more than just me. It can impact the entire world.
And so the question I have to keep asking myself when I want to turn my back on God and say, "this is not what I wanted... this is not my version of greatness," is this: "could this mean great things for someone else?" And when I don't like what God is doing, I am reminded that perhaps what He is doing is bigger than just me - that maybe sometimes the things that happen in my life have little to do with me at all - they are for someone else.
And so my faith is constantly bringing me back to this place that I find it really hard to stay in: a place of humility. I don't like being humble. It's not natural or normal. I want to elevate myself. I want to be great. I want to have the life I've always wanted to live. But my Lord constantly reminds me that I was created for something more than mere personal greatness. I was created to take part of an epic story that expands way beyond myself. Yes, I was created for something much greater. And fulfilling this high and holy calling begins with lowering ourselves. It begins with humility.
This is what it really means to become "great": it is not to be above everyone else - but to be below. It is to humbly accept that our lives are meant for more than just our own personal fulfillment. They are meant to draw others, the whole world in fact, into truth, grace, love and redemption.
I pray that my heart will become more like those of our faith fathers who, "[did not], even though their lives of faith were exemplary, get their hands on what was promised. God had a better plan for us: that their faith and our faith would come together to make one completed whole, their lives of faith not complete apart from ours" (Hebrews 11:39-40, MSG).
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