“God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
Recently, Laura and I attended a showing of the movie
Lincoln, starring Daniel Day Lewis. The
movie depicts the social and political divisions that had torn our nation in
two during the time of the Civil War.
Highlighted in the movie, of course, is the Gettysburg Address; and that
truth that “all men are created equal…”.
This concept of equality was key to the abolition of slavery, and
remains central to human rights and the complete realization of humanity as a
whole.
A Great Man
Most refreshing in the movie was Lewis’ portrayal of
the 16th president. Examining the pages
of history, we come to know Abraham Lincoln as a great man. Examining those same pages closer, we can see
Lincoln as a man…a normal man. He is
seen as an individual who knew great pain, had suffered the loss of a child,
and who dealt with the struggles of a difficult and troubled marriage. He wrestled with what we today would classify
as clinical depression his entire life.
By all measures, Abraham Lincoln was a NORMAL man who lived a normal day
to day life, just like you and me. It is
because of what he did WITH that normal life that we call him great!
God is Good,
God is Great…
There is a common table grace that contains the
following words: “God is good, God is
great…”. Genesis 1:27 above told us that
God created every one of us in his own image.
It is my observation that God placed in every one of us a glimpse of his
own greatness. We were created to achieve,
to love, to build, to sing, to serve, to teach…to do whatever it is that is
before us, and affect the world around us.
It is in doing so, with whatever we have and whoever we are, that we
become seen for what we are created to be: GREAT!
Taking nothing from the original intent of the
Gettysburg Address, nor detracting from the spirit of its words, I want to
borrow that remarkable phrase: ”the proposition that all men are created
equal.” I want to place a different
frame over them for a few minutes and ask you to consider them not in terms of
the equality of races, but in terms of the great potential…that potential for
greatness…that God has placed in every single one of us.
Make a quick inventory of persons across history that
you would call “great.” What did they
do? What did they achieve? And what was it that delineates them from
ourselves except that they took what they had and did what was needed to be
done? He or she took their respective
talents and USED them. They may have
applied great determination and discipline to the task at hand. Many tries may have brought many, many
failures…and yet they persisted.
Equal…But
Different
And while Abraham Lincoln asserted – “all men are
created equal,” he did not assert that all men are created the same! We are not the same you and me. We are different. Sometimes, we are very different. We are different, but we are equal. Should we compare our lives, there may be
numerous similarities. However, I
believe we would confirm what we both already know; God has made us very
diverse. We may possess very diverse
gifts and talents. Nevertheless,
whatever your gifts and talents are, you were made to do GREAT THINGS!
Prayer
Almighty God, We do not
regularly see ourselves as great in or at anything. Yet your word tells us that we are fearfully
and wonderfully made. You have given us
great minds, and great skills. Each of
us possesses great potential to do and achieve, to innovate and invent. Allow and assist us this day to walk in a way
that is reflective of all you have placed in us. To the honor and glory of your name, help us
be great in all we do. In Jesus’ name we
pray, Amen.
Submitted By Kerry Patton
