You being great doesn’t take away from me being great.

I haven’t believed that all my life.

For many years, I thought it was a zero sum game. I had the flawed thinking that there were only 100 (or some limited number) “greatness points” out in the world to be obtained, and for every 1 that someone else had, there was 1 less for me to be able to get. (Stupid, I know!)

This made me stingy with encouraging others. This made me fearful of equipping others. This made me hesitant of empowering others. Because, if I did too much to elevate someone else, it would someway, somehow cause me to lose out on something I was supposed to get. (Very immature. I’m embarrassed.)

Then, somewhere along the way, my mind was renewed. I took a hold of Jesus’ teaching on greatness.

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:25-28

Things are different for me now.

I feel very little competition with anyone over anything.

I have so much more clarity. Here is a bulleted list of how I think about things now:

God has greatness for me.
God has greatness for others.
The greatness God has for me and the greatness God has for others aren’t at odds.
Actually, my concern should be to serve others in such a way that they obtain all the greatness that God has for them.
Then, God will get to me, in His timing and in His way, all the greatness He has for me.
Bottom line: greatness should never be my concern, service should be.