In the last post on true greatness we looked at what true greatness is, as it is defined by God. Mahaney defines greatness as serving others for the glory of God. If we study ourselves to see what we truly consider to be great, I think we will find that often times our definition of greatness is not associated with serving others for the glory of God. For parents, this can be especially evident as we consider our children.
C.J. Mahaney preached a message on this topic of humility and true greatness (you can listen to it here). In the message he challenges parents in regard to their definition of true greatness, is it Biblical? I think it is best to ask ourselves some revealing questions, to expose what we consider to be true greatness.
What are your ambitions for your children?
You want your children to be great, and this is not wrong if your definition of greatness is Biblical. So as you think of your children, what do you want them to be like? The picture in your brain that you see of your children in the future is probably your definition of true greatness. What are your ambitions for them? That they be successful in business, or popular, or excellent in some area (maybe music or sports). If we want our kids to be great in the eyes of God, then our highest ambition for them must be that they be a humble servant of God. If they are a humble servant, they may not be popular, or wealthy, or even safe; but they will be great in the eyes of God.
Who do your children admire and why?
This question really addresses who you admire. If you and your home praises someone that is not worthy to be praised, that is who your children will admire. This can be revealing in the areas of entertainment and sports. True and ultimate greatness should not be declared on athletes and actors. God is not impressed by the six championships accumulated by Michael Jordan. That is not to say that you watch a game like a stoic, and refuse to cheer. However, just know (and teach your kids as you watch with them) that what you are seeing, is not true greatness. If our perspective and admiration of true greatness is wrong, then our children’s will follow. We must teach our children to look for examples of service to the glory of God. They must be able to spot this, and recognize it as true greatness. They will need to be trained to have eyes that recognize greatness when they see it. If we fail to recognize greatness as parents, then it will be very difficult for our children to spot it.
There are more questions that we could ask, but you get the idea. Pursuing humility and having a Biblical definition of true greatness will change the way we look at parenting. Let’s have Biblical, Godly aspirations of greatness for our children, and let’s teach them to notice and admire true greatness.
