Greatness

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em -William Shakespeare

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, we all inspire to be great.

Welcome back In Fine Fettle readers, so happy you could join me today!

It’s been about three weeks now since we last spoke (I know… time flies when you’re havin’ fun) and truly not much has changed YET.

I am sitting about one week out from taking my boards “the NCLEX” and honestly I am feeling a lot of mixed emotions.

Part of me is ready to get it over with, knowing I studied hard these past few weeks. While the other part of me knows if it has anything to do with medicine there is always still so much more to learn.

Todays blog post is inspired by a guest speaker at my church last Sunday but more than that, a lesson God has been continually trying to drive home for me, for a while now.

I’m human though… I forget and revert back to old ways.

Think back to when you were just a kid… full of life and innocence. I don’t have to ask but I will… what did you what to be when you grew up?

I am sure some of you said a college athlete, maybe even pro… maybe a doctor or a dentist, maybe a veterinarian (like me 😉 ) or maybe just a good ole janitor…

The point that I am trying to make is even back when we were kids we all dreamed some type of greatness. Nobody had to teach it to us, its innate.

Most of us, maybe its safe to say ALL of us still inspire that same level of greatness but it just looks a bit more realistic than when we were kids.

During this new transitional period from school into my career I’ve been thinking a lot about the life ahead of me (typically right in the middle of a study sesh) and it seems I have only just begun living! There is so much to inspire…

I inspire to be GREAT in my career as a nurse. I inspire to be great at writing these posts in a way that influences and speaks to your heart. I inspire to be a great friend, a great wife one day.

Which would you prefer?

Greatness that is fading or greatness that lasts forever.

All these things I inspire to do and be are good things. Desires I believe God has placed on my heart for a purpose but that’s not the point!

Sisters, brothers. God gives us each special gifts and talents and desires to be great! Believe it or not he wants greatness from you more that you want it for yourself.

Heres the catch: greatness in Gods eyes doesn’t look like worldly greatness. Not fame or money, college degrees or the number of Instagram followers you have play much of a role in God’s view of greatness.

The world says:
   The more people that SERVE YOU, the greater you are.
God says:
   The more people YOU SERVE, the greater you are.

Big difference huh.

“…Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave- just as the Son of Man (Jesus) did not come to be served, but to serve and to GIVE his life as a ransom for many.” -Jesus Christ

Matthew 20:26-28

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others…

Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant…

Philippians 2 3-7

The challenge this week, the next few weeks is find an area where you can achieve greatness in SERVING.

Whether you feel lead to do something small or large, serving always requires sacrifice. Could be a sacrifice of time, of money… we all have different things we can offer as sacrifice today in service.

• Buy a stranger coffee
• Volunteer
• Bake something for your neighbor
• Donate
• Send an encouraging message

Whatever you do go out with the expectation to serve with a pure heart and get nothing in return.

until next time,

xoxo

Claire Idelle