So, You Think You Were Made For Greatness?

I am at this very moment listening to a number of different bird species seemingly audition for soloist of the year. I love God’s great creation and I make a point of enjoying it often! So this morning I was pondering the uniqueness of every person – that there is no one with your DNA, your heart, your soul, your fingerprint, your precise makeup, etc.

As I thought about that, I wondered if it was true and appropriate to tell everyone that God has greatness in store for them. Was it true? Does He only have greatness for a few? I mean, after all, how many presidents or senators can you have at one time? How many mega companies or mega churches can you have?

If everyone was a hero, would anyone be a hero? Wouldn’t heroism be normal and therefore not heroic? If greatness is measured by dollars in our bank account or fame or God forbid, the number of Facebook friends we have, and we fall short does that make us something other than great?

As I pondered these things, the Lord gave me a definition of greatness that set me free and I hope it will you. God looks at greatness in this manner… You achieve greatness when you whole-heartedly pursue and become what He created you to be and become. That is probably not a real estate mogul, though it could be.

You are fearfully, wonderfully and totally uniquely designed. Grow into that! Learn what God built into you and develop that. It may be becoming an avocado farmer that serves his local community but is not known outside of the area. It could be opening a local coffee shop where locals and travelers experience fellowship, rest and maybe even the presence of God while there.

Quit letting others or the media dictate what you should become, or what greatness is. Greatness is what God says it is and I am absolutely convinced it simply means to fully step into what He made you to be. Do that with joy. Become great at being who God made you to be.

As one man said recently, God made you an original. Don’t die a copy of someone else! Whenever you try to become something you’re not, whenever you try to emulate the trappings of greatness or success that you have been told are marks of greatness or success, you become small.

Greatness is not being the next… Billy Graham, the next Zig Ziglar, the next anybody. There was and only will ever be one of them, and there will only ever be one of you. Don’t squander who you are, trying to become who you are not, doing what someone else was called to do. Ask the Lord to show you His blueprint for your life. Look for the schematic if you will. When you see the design He put in you, the way you are wired, move in that direction.

By the way, a lot has been said about the desires of your heart and people are often encouraged to pursue those desires or to pursue their “passion”. But I offer you a strong word of caution here… A lot of the “passion” people have is a lust for power, position, fame or wealth. They want to be that image they seen on TV or in the movies. They want to be “the next American Idol” or be hired by Donald Trump. Very dangerous stuff when you try to become what you were not designed for.

Before you “follow your heart” (which truly can be a good thing), I urge you to follow the advice found in James 4:7 – 10 where he says, “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Our job is to present clean hands and a pure heart to the Lord. That usually involves self-examination and repentance. It is good for the soul and necessary for true greatness and success. It is in that context you will discover the purpose for which you were created. It is in that context, you are able to discern and receive the desires of God’s heart and have them become yours. It is in that context, you begin to walk out your destiny, and in doing that, become great in God’s eyes!