What is in a name? And Greatness.

A Work in Progress...the name of the blog is two-fold really.

First, I am a writer.  Believe me, I still feel sheepish saying that.  I mean, you can't look up my name and find a list of accolades.  You can't walk into a book store and find something with my name on it.  I have a stack of magazine articles and published fictional stories to show for my efforts.  But that doesn't matter.  I am a writer.  Why?  Because life is torture when I don't write.  If I go a day without plotting a new story and designing new characters I feel lost.  If I'm not in the middle of writing my next article, typing away at my latest manuscript, or researching...the world just feels off.

As a writer, I am a work in progress - and my writing is all a work in progress.  I have not arrived.  People find out and want to  know all about "what I've done" because that's what humans are focused on - we measure greatness by accomplishments and successes.  A person isn't considered of worth until they can rattle off a list of amazing things they have done.  But really, even if I publish 100 books I won't feel like I've arrived because I can always get better, always improve, there is no such thing as perfection.  There will always be someone who doesn't like my work and there will always be something more to write.  It will never be done - it will always be a progress.

Likewise, I am a work in progress.  I'm just an everyday sinner in need of the grace of God to get through life.  I am not perfect, nor will I ever be.  Each day on earth will be another step to another point on a mountain with no end.  A mountain of surrender and obedience.  A mountain, that frankly, somedays, I don't even want to try to climb - because who wants to climb a mountain with no summit?  Perfection is unreachable, but that's just it, in this life we have to fall in love with the process of becoming who Christ wants us to become. 

I will never be great by human standards.  Not as a writer, or as a person.  I will always be in the process of becoming and never getting there.

What does greatness even look like? We humans have always had a wrong view of greatness. When a Messiah was foretold we pictured a military hero, someone who would come in like a swashbuckler and save the day with a bang. That’s greatness to us, but Christ shook His head at our views. Christ showed us that greatest is a ministry of being last. Greatness is getting down on your knees and scrubbing the calloused, dusty, sweaty feet of twelve men. Greatness is remaining silent when being accused. Greatness is embracing a leaper.

That said, I don't want human greatness.  It's exhausting.  I'll take God's sort anyday.