True Greatness

Today the sermon was about true greatness.  When I hear the phrase I think about people who are hero's.  My pastor put it into a much greater perspective.  He spoke out of Mark 9: 33-37 "And they came to Capernaum.  And when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you discussing on the way?"   But they kept silent, for the on the way they had argues with one another about you was greatest.  And he sat down and called twelve.  And he said to them, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all."  And he took a child and put him in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me."  This sermon spoke to me on a couple of different levels.  With going through everything that I have been lately one would be tempted to say "Lauren, you are doing such a great job."  Which is not something that I would like to hear...  Ok, well I think we all want to be praised, but let me explain.  Pastor Joe said "True greatness is not being first amongst others to be recognized, it is the willing to be last."  Even though it is not a bad thing to be great, but what we have to be aware of is how sin corrupts our ways.  Even some of us want to be called great without actually being great.  

So, what does true greatness look like and how can we apply it to our lives.  This is where I saw everything in my life happening and how I was able to look at the situation and ask myself this very question.  In submitting to my Lord and not putting myself out into the world by going to college, I have realized that I have a much better chance at becoming "great".  My hope for not going to college isn't so that I can be at home waiting for my prince to come and rescue me, no, rather that I would learn how to be a mom and a wife.  I want to better prepare for the future so when my prince does come to "save me" (i don't like the way that sounds, but it will have to do) I am prepared.  But, you see, that is not the only reason I am not going to college.  True greatness is putting yourself last.  This is what I want to learn.  I want to be able to help in other mothers homes as well, I want to take care of the children if the mother were to catch a cold, I want to clean their house if they were to go out of town and couldn't find time to do it themselves.  BUT I don't want to be noticed for it.  I want God to see the work of my servants heart and say "well done my child".  Why would we want earthly praise when God's praise is much, much more rewarding?  

Even though I have done a lot of things that were God glorifying, I cannot help but think that I need to be doing more.  Pastor Joe said it very well "Christ must increase and I must decrease."  I have to look at what I can be doing to glorify him and not others.  I don't want to live a selfish life of only serving myself.  Instead of what can Lauren do for Lauren I want to be what can Lauren do for others, more importantly Christ.  

-Lauren