“Greatness.” When we think of people who fall into this category we tend to think about people who have done great things for God. We also tend to think about people who have done great things for others, often in a way that is self-sacrificial.
I think it’s safe to say that King David was a man of greatness. He did great things for God. He slew the taunting villain, Goliath. He wrote many psalms (which are in our Bibles). He advanced the kingdom and sought to be faithful.
At the same time, he was flawed. Perhaps most famously, he sinned with Bathsheba and arranged to have Uriah killed (2 Samuel 11).
David also experienced times of inner anguish. Listen to what he says in Psalm 55: “My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest… I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest” (verses 4-8).
My point is this. Greatness does not mean emotional invincibility.
How often do we look at ourselves and see only our flaws? How often do we make a mental list of past failures, and take note of how flimsy we feel in our hearts and minds? If you’re like me, probably too often.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t do great things for God. You can be faithful and true. You can shine the light of Christ at your workplace, at your school, and in your home. You can stand up for the Lord, and you can love others with a sincerity that is hard to not notice.
Greatness does not mean perfection. Greatness does not mean emotional invincibility.
People who give evidence of the greatness of God in their lives are remarkable not because they have it all together, but because they keep their hearts and minds fixed on the only One who does.
Notes:
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.
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