On Greatness

Have you ever felt like you can’t do great things because you’re not great yourself? Like, if only you were a famous celebrity, professional this, expert that, giant in this field or superhero in that area—popular, sought after—great—then you could do something that matters?

I have felt like that. Like nothing I do really means anything because I’m not ___.

Well, friends. Fun fact: it’s not true.

You  don't have to be 'great' to do great things.

The darkness in this world likes to deceive us with all the catchy, seemingly sensible lies. Twisting what’s right into a warped and maligned untruth.

Yes, we are small. Yes, we are weak. Yes, we are fearful. Yes, we fail.

But God is big. God is strong. God is powerful. God is gracious and merciful.

And you know what else? For those in Christ, God is with you.

The Bible is replete with characters throughout history who were nobodies in the eyes of the world. People who didn’t amount to much. But God used them. God called them, and when they answered, he did gobsmackingly awesome things with them.

Paul even boasted of his weakness, because he understood that in his weakness, he was strong in the Lord. We can be, too.

What the world considers to be great and useful is nothing and meaningless in the eyes of our Creator. He can and will take what little we have—our loaves and fishes, as it were—and do incredible things with it. If we offer it up.

Adam and Eve sinned. Noah got drunk. Abraham and Sarah were homeless and old. Jacob was a conniving twerp. Joseph was a slave. Moses was a murderer. Ruth and Rahab were outsiders. Esther and Daniel were captives. Samson was a brat. Gideon was a scaredy cat. David was a shepherd (among other things . . .). Solomon walked away. Mary was poor. Matthew was a tax collector. Almost half of the 12 disciples were blue collar workers. Paul was a villain.

The list goes on. But God called each of these people and used them to do great things. Because God takes what the world discounts—the weak, the broken, the small, the insignificant, the rejected—to fulfil his purposes and display his power, grace, and glory.

And you know what, friends? He’s not done. If you let him, he can do great things through you, too.