Greatness
What does it mean to be great?
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. "If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! "If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire. "Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. - Matthew 18:1-14
Greatness for me is a feeling. It is great to be alive. I feel great about this idea of yours.
The sheer size of something can be humbling. The great expanse of the sky or ocean, for example. The view from the edge of the Grand Canyon is a great example.
But in the kingdom of God, greatness takes on a different meaning, and that is what Jesus explains to his disciples.
Greatness does not pertain to a feeling or to size, but to significance in God's eyes.
To be great, one must be humble, one must be willing to put others first, and one must be open to truth with innocence, like a child.
It is not the one who boosts himself up, or the one who says all the right things, or the one who appears to be above everyone else who is great, but the one who is led astray and finds his way home.
Jesus came to bring us all to God, the great and the small, but especially the small and innocent and lost.
Those of us who feel abandoned are the ones God works hardest to find and return to the fold.
If we want to be great in God's kingdom, we must be like God, seeking out those in need and helping them find their way.
More to come...