Throughout history we see that there were great people, people like Plato and Aristotle, Albert Einstein and Alexander the Great, Shakespeare and even Isaac Newton to name a few. In more modern times we think of people like Mother Teresa, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King Jr. and even Rosa Parks. The list could go on and on because so many people contributed to society and world events. So what makes you a great person? Is it fame or fortune or intellect? Isn’t this what we consider great? But maybe we think our next door neighbor is great because he helps you out when you need it. I guess we all have a different opinion of what makes someone great. Let’s look at a few opinions.
“It’s not about money or connections – it’s the willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone when it comes to your business.” – Mark Cuban, Entrepreneur & Investor.
“Most people define greatness through wealth and popularity and position in the corner office. But what I call everyday greatness comes from character and contribution.” – Stephen Covey, Author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
“Greatness is a lot of small things done well.” – Eric Thomas, Motivational Speaker & Author
“Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone.” – Robin Sharma, Author & Speaker
“Greatness comes from fear. Fear can either shut us down and we go home, or we fight through it.” – Lionel Richie, Singer & Songwriter So let’s look at this at a different angle.
“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” – Martin Luther King Jr. “You can only become great at that thing you’re willing to sacrifice for.” – Maya Angelou, Writer & Activist
We look down on God’s Word but I think the Bible says a lot about this subject and I think that it is right.
The Bible tells us this in Matthew 23:11-12 “Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.” Yes, to be great means to be a servant, a humble servant. Again, The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
Life is not about climbing over people to get to the top, but instead it is giving a helping hand to someone who needs to be picked up. Those at the top will one day fall but those who are at the bottom helping others to rise will never fall because their feet are firmly planted on the ground. People like firefighters and police and even teachers can all be great, even doctors and nurses, but I think that we can not forget those who hand out food to the hungry and those who live amongst the poor in poor countries. And I think people who take care of those who have Dementia especially Alzheitmers with great kindness and gentleness knowing that they will not even remember that you have been so kind and gentle with them, let alone even remember you. But you do it with great respect because these people are still human beings. When people do acts of kindness behind the scenes these are the greatest people of all. There is no thanks or recognition, no pats on the back, no rewards, no pictures on the cover of magazines, no, no one knows their names, these are the greatest of all time.
The Bible says in Matthew 5:7-8, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.”
Matthew 25: 34-40 says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? And when did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’
Here is a song by David Heitler-Klevans called, Even When No One Is Watching “I’ll do what’s right, even when no one’s watching. I’ll do what’s right, when no one can see. Not for attention, or for reward, I’ll do what’s right for me.”
How about you ? Where do you stand? Do you like the attention, the praise, the notoriety when you do something for others? Once again, God’s Word has something different to say than the World.
Matthew 6:1-4 says, “Beware of practicing your righteousness (good deeds) before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues (churches) and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”’
Greatness is not something you achieve, it is something that is within you. It is not pride or haughtiness. It does not boast. It does not perform for all to see. No greatness is just the opposite. Greatness bows the knee to help those in need. It serves and does not demand to be serviced. It lives in the shadows and not the spotlight. There are many such people in this world who only have a heart for those they can help or serve or love. These are the greatest people of all. Here is one more thing to look at, 1 Corinthians 13:1-6, 13 says, “If I had the gift of being able to speak in other languages without learning them and could speak in every language there is in all of heaven and earth, but didn’t love others, I would only be making noise. If I had the gift of prophecy and knew all about what is going to happen in the future, knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would it do? Even if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, I would still be worth nothing at all without love. If I gave everything I have to poor people, and if I were burned alive for preaching the Gospel but didn’t love others, it would be of no value whatsoever. Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud, never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand its own way. It is not irritable or touchy. It does not hold grudges and will hardly even notice when others do it wrong. It is never glad about injustice, but rejoices whenever truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to him no matter what the cost. You will always believe in him, always expect the best of him, and always stand your ground in defending him.” “ There are three things that remain—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”
Are you a great person? If so, don’t tell me or anyone else, just keep being great in your love for others. So many people today need people who truly love, people who will go above and beyond to help another person. But people today need people who are great in their humility, because this means that they are truly great and sincere about their help. If you are not this way then you will not be faithful in your help. You will not be sincere when it gets hard and you will lose your enthusiasm and this is when people need you the most. More people commit suicide because they lose their hope and when do they lose their hope? When people stop caring, or loving, or helping, and why do they stop? Because they are not getting the recognition they thought they would get. Some people get a buzz from getting recognition, it makes them feel great, when in fact, they are not. It’s not too late for you to become a great person. You can begin today by changing the way you look at how one should help another. Does your right hand know what your left hand is doing? If so, then you need to examine yourself to see if you have true love, for true love never brags or expects or even thinks about what the right hand has done for someone else.
Here is a great song that says so much which was sung by Bette Midler called Wind Beneath My Wings.“ It must have been cold there in my shadow to never have sunlight on your face. You were content to let me shine, that’s your way. You always walked a step behind so I was the one with all the glory while you were the one with all the strength. A beautiful face without a name for so long. A beautiful smile to hide the pain. Did you ever know that you’re my hero and everything I would like to be? I can fly higher than an eagle for you are the wind beneath my wings.”
Now I say, you too can be one of the greats among us.