Greatness

Most commercials today are in the business of using the term greatness in trying to convince their audience to purchase their products and services. Tying greatness to their products creates the notion in the minds of people that getting those products will make them great or enable them to achieve greatness. While the ultimate desire of every man is to be great, the road to greatness may be far from the products advertised.

Inherent in every man is the desire for greatness. No one wants to be a push over. Everyone desires to be highly respected among men. That in itself is never wrong. And since many advertisers know that, they present many roads to supposed greatness. But I have come to discover that the road to greatness is the one less travelled. The reason is so obvious – it isn’t very fashionable. It doesn’t look like it.

What is greatness? Simply, it is to be powerful, influential and durable. It is magnificence. Every normal thinking man will want to exert all of these among other people. I have seen people like the Psalmist noted, who rose up suddenly and exerted so much influence but they were like the shooting star. All of a sudden they are nowhere to be found. They had fizzled out suddenly. But why does this happen always, you may ask? The reason is not far-fetched. It is because the basis was either not in place or was violated. What then is the basis for greatness? It is virtue.

Virtue is the only solid basis of greatness. It’s not one of the solid bases; it is the only solid basis.
Virtue deals with godly and moral principles. Daniel Webster states clearly that virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to truth. From the above statement we can deduce that without a proper knowledge of the truth, there is no basis for virtue because virtue rests on the foundation of the truth. The only truth on which virtue can draw its footing is the Word of God. This proves to us that without the knowledge of God’s Word, we cannot be virtuous. We may have what looks like virtue but can’t be it.

In subsequent writings, I shall pick and examine some of these attributes of virtue that will enable our lives to be properly integrated. Don’t ever forget that you were born great. And if you were born great, then anything less than greatness will amount to an aberration and travesty of purpose.