Destined For Greatness
DESTINED FOR GREATNESS
by Dawn Harris
If someone were to tell me that I am “destined for greatness,” my initial reaction would be to puff up like a marshmallow, full of pride. After all, I am somebody. (Or at least I WILL be someday.)
Once I realize that being a marshmallow isn’t all that exciting, reality would soon follow. Destined for greatness. Destined for greatness? What does that even mean? Quickly rethinking my initial response I am now a bit apprehensive. Lucky for me, the “holier than thou” attitude was short lived.
What does it mean to be “destined for greatness?” Well, my handy dictionary says this:
destined: set aside for a specific use or purpose
greatness: important, significant
Of course, those are my favorite of the possible definitions. So far, it sounds good to me. “Set aside for a specific purpose of significance.” I like it! Sign me up.
But how does one BECOME great? Well, let’s look at some of the heroes and see…
David’s bio has him fighting a giant, being chased by a lunatic who wanted to kill him, spending many MANY times alone and lonely, crying out to God. I am pretty sure he was unaware that greatness was part of his destiny. He was just fighting to live and to gain a small portion of understanding. Even when it all seemed to be looking up for David, he was so oblivious! God put him in charge and he covets Bathsheba, kills Uriah, and tries to make it look like a GOOD thing. Greatness? No, not seeing it. Yet, his life is one of seeking the very heart of God. Human? Yes. Messed up? Absolutely! A man after God’s own heart? YES! I will never understand the life of David. It has so many ups and downs. On one hand, it gives hope to us who feel like we mess up over and over. Yet, his life was a lonely one. He never understood the plan God had for him. He never quite wrapped his mind around the greatness God had prepared for him.
What about Esther? God used her to save a nation. Surely she knows what it means to be great. Does she? She was barely more than a child. She came before the king willing to die for what she believed in. Wow. Am I willing to risk my life for God’s purpose? Esther only knew that the truth burning on her heart was worth more than her own life. She did what she had to do. She had no visions of greatness. She had no idea that all these years later, people would look on her life as an example of greatness. She was a willing servant.
A servant? That does not sound all that great to me.
These are only two of the many examples of people who earned the title “destined for greatness.” Their lives were not much different than mine. Ordinary people. Ordinary lives; until God showed up and burned His plan on their hearts and lives. Forever changed. Forever ruined for the ordinary.
Being great is a hard path. It is lonely. Many times you must stand alone. Many times you have NO idea what is going on. Been there? I have. God’s plan does not seem to make sense to me. Most of the time I am oblivious that He even has a plan for me. Much less that I am in the middle of it!
Greatness? No, God, not me.
What if your ordinary life is the path to greatness God has chosen for you? What if all of the confusion and loneliness are part of the journey to the very heart of God?
Embrace it!
I may never see the end result here on earth. I may never understand. (Ouch!) But as long as God is with me, I will walk on. Oblivious? Probably. Lonely? Definitely. Doing what God has burned on my heart and life: Priceless!