“The greatness I am scrolling through on social media, the power I see on television—these things I find myself longing for and envying—these things are not greatness. They are a sham.” — Ann Swindell
We live in an age obsessed with outcomes.
Followers.
Influence.
Success.
Growth.
Achievement.
Recognition.
We celebrate the promotion, the platform, the championship, the acquisition, the launch, and the breakthrough.
What we rarely celebrate is the person who became capable of handling those things.
We admire greatness while overlooking the character that made greatness possible.
The result is that many of us spend our lives trying to become successful when God is trying to help us become faithful.
And those are not always the same thing.
The Difference Between Looking Great and Being Great
The more I read, the more I encounter messages about greatness.
How to have great ideas.
How to have greater influence.
How to build something significant.
How to maximize potential.
How to become exceptional.
If I’m honest, there are times I find that incredibly appealing.
But I’ve also learned to ask a different question:
Do I want true greatness, or do I simply want to be seen as great?
Jesus confronted that question directly.
In Matthew 23, He pointed to the Pharisees—men who carefully cultivated appearances.
They loved recognition.
Visibility.
Status.
Honor.
They did their deeds, Jesus said, “to be seen by others.”
Then Jesus turned greatness upside down.
“The greatest among you shall be your servant.”
Not the most admired.
Not the most followed.
Not the most influential.
The servant.
The kingdom measures greatness differently.
Ann Swindell summarizes it beautifully:
“Greatness is smallness, servanthood, humility.”
The greatest example, of course, is Christ Himself.
Philippians 2 tells us:
“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.”
The path to true greatness runs through humility.
It always has.
Humility Is Not Thinking Less of Yourself
Many people misunderstand humility.
They imagine weakness.
Timidity.
Passivity.
Lack of confidence.
Scripture presents something very different.
Humility is simply seeing yourself accurately before God.
Neither inflated nor diminished.
A humble person is free from the exhausting need to prove themselves.
Which is why humility often creates better leaders, better friends, better spouses, and better learners.
Rhett Power observed:
“When you approach people with curiosity and humility, they feel validated.”
That rings true.
Have you ever spoken with someone who genuinely wanted to learn from you?
Someone who wasn’t waiting for their turn to talk?
Someone who wasn’t trying to impress you?
Someone who wasn’t treating your experience as merely useful information for their own advancement?
Humility creates space.
Curiosity builds bridges.
Together they allow us to learn what pride keeps us from hearing.
Success Begins with Learning
Michael Jordan famously failed to make his varsity basketball team as a sophomore.
That setback didn’t define him.
His response did.
He practiced.
Then practiced more.
Then practiced again.
Over time, extraordinary skill emerged from ordinary discipline.
Malcolm Gladwell famously summarized this idea:
“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”
The same principle applies spiritually.
Many people want wisdom.
Few want training.
Many want maturity.
Few want practice.
Many want the outcome.
Few embrace the process.
Yet nearly every virtue Scripture commends is developed through repetition.
Patience.
Kindness.
Self-control.
Faithfulness.
Courage.
Wisdom.
None arrive fully formed.
They are cultivated.
The wise person understands that becoming better requires deliberate effort.
Not perfection.
Practice.
Bring on the Change
Most growth enters our lives disguised as disruption.
Rarely do we volunteer for it.
We lose a job.
A child leaves home.
A move becomes necessary.
A diagnosis arrives.
A relationship changes.
A season ends.
A new one begins.
We pray for growth.
God often sends change.
Sometimes lots of it.
At once.
The temptation during these moments is to focus entirely on what is happening around us.
But God is usually doing something deeper.
He is changing us.
One chapter ends.
Another begins.
The question is not whether change will come.
The question is whether we will trust God through it.
Character grows strongest when circumstances become uncertain.
Not because uncertainty feels good.
But because it forces us to rely upon Someone greater than ourselves.
Sometimes Winners Quit
There is an old saying:
“Winners never quit. Quitters never win.”
It sounds inspiring.
It just isn’t always true.
Sometimes wise people quit.
Sometimes maturity requires stopping.
Sometimes growth requires surrendering something we’ve grown attached to.
Brett McKay discovered this through his excessive caffeine consumption.
What began as a normal habit gradually became something unhealthy.
The evidence became impossible to ignore.
And so he quit.
The lesson extends far beyond coffee.
Wisdom requires periodic evaluation.
We need to ask:
- Is this helping or hurting?
- Is this producing the fruit I intended?
- Is this bringing me closer to God or further away?
- Am I holding onto something because it’s beneficial—or because it’s familiar?
The wise know when to start.
When to stay.
And when to stop.
Discernment requires all three.
How Bad Do You Want It?
One of the most fascinating stories in Scripture involves Jacob wrestling with God.
Jacob refuses to let go.
Even after being physically weakened.
Even after the struggle becomes painful.
He remains.
Persistent.
Determined.
Focused.
Why?
Because he wanted God’s blessing more than comfort.
Jon Bloom writes:
“There are times when God only releases his blessings on us after a season of prolonged and even painful wrestling with him.”
That challenges many of our assumptions.
We often want immediate answers.
Quick solutions.
Instant growth.
But God frequently develops depth through persistence.
The difference between liking an idea and truly wanting something becomes evident during struggle.
Anyone can like the idea of spiritual growth.
Few continue pursuing it when it becomes costly.
Anyone can like the idea of wisdom.
Few keep wrestling until wisdom is gained.
Anyone can like the idea of maturity.
Few embrace the discomfort required to achieve it.
Jacob did.
And he walked away changed.
Literally.
And spiritually.
God Is More Concerned with Who You Are Becoming
This may be the most important truth of all.
God often seems surprisingly unconcerned with our timelines.
Our urgency.
Our plans.
Our definitions of success.
Because He is focused on something deeper.
Character.
The person we are becoming.
The kingdom operates differently than the world.
The world asks:
What have you accomplished?
God asks:
Who are you becoming?
The world celebrates achievement.
God cultivates maturity.
The world rewards visibility.
God develops faithfulness.
The world promotes talent.
God shapes character.
Character is what remains when circumstances change.
When opportunities disappear.
When recognition fades.
When success fluctuates.
When plans unravel.
Character remains.
And character is precisely what God is forming.
Final Thoughts
Most people spend their lives trying to become successful.
Scripture calls us to become faithful.
Ironically, faithfulness often produces influence.
Humility often produces greatness.
Service often produces impact.
But those outcomes are secondary.
The primary work is becoming.
Becoming humble.
Becoming wise.
Becoming teachable.
Becoming resilient.
Becoming faithful.
Becoming the kind of person God can entrust with greater responsibility.
The greatest work God may do through your life will first require the greatest work He does within your life.
That work takes time.
It takes practice.
It takes humility.
It takes change.
It takes surrender.
It takes wrestling.
But in the end, becoming the right person is far more important than achieving the right outcome.
Because long after success fades, character remains.
And that is the kind of greatness worth pursuing.