Greatness

Gun’s Quote-of-the-Week:

“Good is the enemy of great.”
-Jim Collins

Nobody likes to get poked in the back with pitchforks or have something nipping at his or her heals. Nobody likes to get pushed. Nobody likes to be held accountable.

Yet it is precisely this pushing – this perpetual nag or perhaps even pain – which drives us to move forward from the position we are in to something greater. Perhaps there is no better example of this than the Olympics these past two weeks.

Here you have games which are played in the international arena once every four years. Between those four years athletes from all over the world train intensely. There are diets, exercises, conditioning, training, studying and – oh by the way – all of the things associated with having families, friends, jobs and schools. In other words, these people are nuts.

Yet we almost revere them, don’t we? Michael Phelps becomes possibly the most recognized celebrity of the week during his Olympic tenure. Do you hear about him any other time of the year? Not really. Does that mean he isn’t there? Oh he’s there… in a pool somewhere, swimming for hours and hours a day to stay in pristine condition so he can go win some more gold metals. You don’t become the world’s greatest Olympian by being good. You become the world’s greatest Olympian by being, well, great.

It’s settling for good that keeps us from reaching the pinnacle of our potential. We become satisfied. We become complacent. We don’t stretch ourselves or exit our comfort zones because we resign to the fact that the perceived pain is worse than the perceived accomplishment. We think deep down that it isn’t worth it. We think we aren’t good enough to be great, so why try? We’ve failed so many times, why go at it again? We’ve been embarrassed, humiliated or ridiculed and we would rather crawl back into the safety of being good than risk being great. This security has kept millions, if not billions, from ever seeing what they could do.

How dare you think you are not capable of greatness. How dare you! Do you not realize that your God who created all of the heavens and the earth, every star and every comet, every living creature creeping and crawling on the land and fish swimming in the sea called YOU His “Beloved?” Do you not realize that you, yourself, in your current form now, are His very capstone of creation? Do you not know that you are made in His image? By suggesting that you aren’t capable of greatness would be to suggest that God is a liar and that you are not the greatest of His works. It would be as if you stood in His midst and said, “Sorry, I don’t believe you. I can’t do what You say I can,” or “I’m not who You say I am.” I’m not sure about you, but I would prefer not to call God a liar. If He says that I am, then the only thing that keeps me from being the greatest of all His creations is me.

We will not all be Michael Phelps and that’s fine. We aren’t all called to the same thing nor do we all have the same destiny. Yet, we are all called to greatness. Being made in the image and likeness of God mandates that.

So, whatever it is that you do this week, do not settle for good. You are made for more.

…and that’s why it’s a Gun’s Quote!