08/01/2023
Do you ever feel overlooked, undervalued, or ignored? Do you feel like you have to accomplish something great in order to be a person of greatness? Do you define greatness in terms of how large, famous and fast you reach your accomplishments?
My wife’s father grew up on a farm outside Cynthiana, Kentucky. At eighteen, he joined the military to serve during the Korean Conflict and then returned home to work for IBM for his entire career. Laura told me she would ask her dad what his job was, and he would always reply, “Parts.” He worked on an assembly line putting together typewriters.
But he was a great man. He didn’t accomplish anything large, famous and fast—at least not in the world’s eyes. But he accomplished so much more. His marriage was great. His kids are great (especially the one I married). He was a great neighbor. And he was a great follower of Jesus. In the annals of history, he will go unnamed. But in the annals of God’s history, his name will be followed by the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Richard Foster is the famed author of the classic, Celebration of Discipline. His son, Nathan, recounts a time when he was eager to quickly conquer the mountains of Colorado. Father and son made one of the climbs together, and while resting on the rocky side of a celebrity mountain, Richard pointed to the beauty of an adjacent mountain:
Nate, see that mountain? It has a stunning ridge. That’s a perfectly good peak. If it stood a few feet higher, you would know its name and want to climb it. As it stands, it’s an unnamed mountain that no one bothers with (Nathan Foster, Wisdom Chasers: Finding My Father at 14,000 Feet, 41).
Zack Eswine asks, “What if you’re an unnamed mountain?” (Imperfect Pastor, 20). What if you are overshadowed by the perfect sister, the outperforming co-worker, or the brilliant fellow student? What if you feel like no one wants to bother with you, because, well, you’re too ordinary?
I tell myself this on a pretty regular basis: “Don’t compare.” When I compare myself to others, I feel deflated, because I don’t measure up, or I feel proud, because I think I measure up too well.
At the end of my days, the question that truly matters is not, “Did Rick accomplish something great?” The question that matters is, “Did Rick accomplish what God had for him to do?” Greatness comes not from personal accomplishments but from personal faithfulness.
Are you faithful in being the man or woman God desires you to be? Are you becoming more like Christ—gradually, slowly, and consistently? Your greatness does not come by how much you make but by how much you give. Your greatness does not come by your title, professional degrees, or the size of your office. Your greatness comes by what you do with your title, degrees and office. For all the accomplishments the writer of Hebrews could have referenced with Moses’ life, the one thing he selected was this: “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house” (Hebrews 3:5).
Don’t worry about doing something great, just be great by being faithful.
