Whom are you like in your greatness?

I had started to read Ezekiel 31 but couldn’t get past verse 2 for quite a while. As the Lord commanded Ezekiel to ask: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?’ the question hit me pretty strong in my spirit. I found myself replaying an interesting conversation I had had with one of my sistas a couple of weeks ago.

I truly can’t quite recall how we got on the subject but I remember we'd ended up talking about intellectual arrogance and how among the very best of us, this is something that slowly creeps up on us if not checked intentionally and with a leaning on the Holy Spirit. We talked about how for people who are blessed with certain levels of intellectual capacity; who have the gift of highly analytical minds – able to see unique perspectives to just about everything; or who have the gift of oration and are able to command presence and attention, there is a major need to be careful not to allow intellectual arrogance, or a silent pride – sometimes cloaked in an outwardly apparent humility, to set in.

You know sis, if you think deeply enough about the assertion in the last paragraph you may find that you have been guilty of this; or you have been one of those who have unwittingly contributed to the build-up of silent pride in someone or the other that you know (a bit too much praise, a little too much adulation, undue dependency? sigh!!!). In truth, it is more than likely that each of us has worked both sides of that equation in times past. I know I certainly have. Hmmm! The Lord will help us!

Using ourselves as examples, my sista and I acknowledged that, to the glory of God, we are both women operating successfully and commanding respect in our largely male-dominated industries. We had talked over the fact that we tend to speak in strong, focused and very measured ways at meetings and so tend to attract significant attention at corporate gatherings. We also manage to sound pretty intelligent (it appears), stringing the right words in an impressive-enough order. We both have quite a few people who tend to depend on our counsel – personal or professional, to make critical life decisions for themselves. We are regularly engaged in speaking, training/teaching roles in both the secular/business world and in the church, usually to a good ovation at the end. We are both pretty well read, but continue to pursue our personal and professional education and development. We acknowledged yes, that our lives are outwardly and upwardly progressive. We acknowledged that this is all great, but that it can all also make us fall into a place of pride if we take our eyes off Jesus. 

Does any or all of the above sound like your life sis? I suspect so. For many of us who may be reading this blog, at the various levels that we may be at in life, in our families, in our businesses, in church, or in our professional associations, we may have achieved a level/levels of recognition in our various endeavours that give us some sense of identity, validated by the external adulations of others around us. What’s wrong with this? Are we not designed to use our potentials to move us to undeniable levels of achievement that add value to society and those around us? Are our lives not meant to count for something distinct and tangible here on earth? Certainly sis! Certainly!

The challenge which we identified however is that as we grow, as our achievements begin to bring us recognition, respect and honour; then we need to be very careful in this space not to be overcome by intellectual arrogance and/or a sense of entitlement, and believe me, this is so much easier said than done…. but for God!  It is so easy to think of pride from a very generic definition standpoint, but a hard look at our lives may reveal that we are walking in silent pride. How easy it is for those of us who train people to find ourselves listening sometimes with only half an ear to other trainers, mentally concluding that they really don’t have anything new to teach us. How easy it is to be dismissive of a speaker, mentally declaring to yourself how much better you could have delivered his/her presentation. How easily we expect recognition when we walk into certain place, and bristle when we don’t get it at all or in the manner to which we have become accustomed. How easy it is to ascribe glory to yourself at the end of a standing ovation, especially when in your view, you really worked to give a good presentation. How easy to forget that the glory is for the Father alone Who causes our gifts to make a way for us. I could go on sis, but you surely get my drift.

It’s great to be great, of that there is no question. Nothing is as satisfying as seeing your gifts and abilities bear fruit and make impact. It is undoubtedly gratifying when your greatness begins to shine through and be audibly and outwardly recognized by those around you. But the Lord asks of you and I today: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness?’

We serve a God who hates pride. He is a God of love yes, but His Word makes plain the things that He hates. Pride is a big one on His list. The Lord loves the humble and He loves to exalt them - to His glory alone. As we grow in our earthly greatness therefore, we must keep our eyes fixed on our spiritual greatness. Earthly greatness wins us recognitions, applause, accolades, etc in the eyes of man. But what sense does it make to be a ‘great’ woman in the eyes of the world, and yet be small in the eyes of the Lord? When we allow the silent prides of our earthly greatness to creep into our lives, we tarnish the image of our greatness in the face of the Lord. In the place of pride, no matter how small, we take away from our conformity to His image and glory. If we are not careful, we forget that the Lord is the source of all our wisdom, our knowledge and insights, our understanding and perceptions. Effectively, for each great thing we achieve, it is the Lord Who is deserving of the honour, the accolade, the applause. He it is Who is our greatness and not we of ourselves. 

My sista and I were laughing at the beginning of our conversation. But as we went deeper, we ended up in a prayer of ‘Lord help us! Lord we need Your grace’. As I sat quietly and reflected over the question in Ezekiel 31 v 2, the prayer in my heart was ‘Father, consume every silent pride in me. Lord, take away everything in me that is taking away from giving glory to You. Lord, let my greatness be wholly in Your image. Let me be like You in my greatness Lord! Lord, as You continue to lift me up and enlarge my coast and areas of influence, Lord keep me humble. Help me to continually show genuine love, respect and honour for my fellow men and women, your children whom You have also created in Your image and likeness. Lord, let my greatness be only in You Lord, as an instrument of Your glory; as a testimony of Your faithfulness; as a magnet to draw men unto You; and to further Your Kingdom here on earth. Lift me up, not so that I will exalt myself oh Lord; but that You and You alone may be exalted as I reflect Your image in every area of my life, IJMN’.

I speak greatness into your life sis. I speak divine enlargement. And I pray along with you that as the Lord lifts you up, as He makes you greater still; that you will not submit yourself to to the accolades of men, nor the pride that steals in alongside of that. I pray that you (and I) will rather stay focused on the Father; that indeed the image of our greatness shall be forever and only…. the image of God.

Be blessed sis…. For you surely are