09/08/2026
Great and Beautiful
“… the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty.” Malcolm Gladwell wrote those words to help us change the way we think about adversity. We are prone to think of certain things as helpful which turn out to be destructive and other things as unhelpful but in the long run they can leave us better, stronger and wiser for the experience. What if God allowed certain circumstances in our lives to teach us how to be appropriately desperate for something better? We all know seasons of life where everything is going along ok and how that can leave us with little hunger for growth and change. But then something happens and we are left with little choice but to step up and deal with challenges that seem overwhelming. Which is better – the season where we walk through life half asleep or the season where the storm threatens everything we hold dear and we must fight like never before? I think the latter is better. But it does take an attitude adjustment. Our youngest son Matt is getting married today. As I stand before him and his bride, I will be thinking about all the wonderful moments we have shared together. But I will also be thinking about those hard times. The man he is today is the result, in large measure, of those hard times he experienced. He is stronger and wiser and better because of those hard times. None of us like to go through them but all of us need them if we are going to be great and beautiful. Great and beautiful from God’s perspective seem to require the presence of what is just the opposite of what we prefer. Jesus says it this way in Matthew 20:16, “So the last shall be first, and the first last…” We all have some desire to be first but for that to truly be the case, we must embrace being last. Being last is what happens when we are overwhelmed, outclassed and overlooked. When none of what we hoped for is happening, the ingredients are in place for something truly amazing to happen – we lay the foundation for greatness and beauty to emerge from our lives. Don’t show up to get everything you can. Show up to give everything you have. Be kind and grateful … firm and faithful. This is how you raise the bar on your discipleship.
