Greatness

I am in a Summer Book Study at our church.  We are reading Raising Kids for True Greatness by Tim Kimmel.  This week I was assigned 2 chapters to read.  I woke up quite early to a crying child and so I figured what better a time than now?

Dr. Kimmel has you look at the difference between success and greatness in the first two chapters.  Success is something that you achieve while on Earth and people commend.  Greatness is something that God commends.

I have to back track a moment because I want to tell you about my friend.  She is adopting from Eastern Europe and she is getting 3 special needs kids.  They all have problems related to their conditions but what makes it all worse is that the problems they have because of the way they were treated in the orphanage are far worse.

I have struggled with this new insight.  I have struggled with why it is allowed to happen.  I struggle with the audacity of people that feel it is okay to treat others the way they have. One friend argued that some just don't know better.  I am sorry but I can't accept that.  I just can't. Somewhere deep down SOMEONE has to know that it is not right.

So as I have prayed I have asked God what I am supposed to do with this knowledge. These are the two things I am hearing; keep praying and He can and will restore all.

So as I read today about raising my children and wanting them to be successful or great I came across a sentence in the book that stuck out to me; "Truly great people would never want to escape from their responsibility to the greater good of the human race.".

That my friends is what I want for my children.  I want them to step up to the plate like my friend is.  I want them to feel the overwhelming burden to pray for "the least of these".

     For I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you brought Me together with yourselves and welcomed and entertained and lodged Me,    I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me with help and ministering care, I was in prison and you came to see Me.
    Then the just and upright will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and gave You food, or thirsty and gave You something to drink?
    And when did we see You a stranger and welcomed and entertained You, or naked and clothed You?
    And when did we see You sick or in prison and came to visit You?
    And the King will reply to them, Truly I tell you, in so far as you did it for one of the least  in the estimation of men] of these My brethren, you did it for Me.
    Then He will say to those at His left hand, Begone from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!
   For I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
    I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me and entertain Me, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me with help and ministering care.
   Then they also [in their turn] will answer, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?
    And He will reply to them, Solemnly I declare to you, in so far as you failed to do it for the least in the estimation of men] of these, you failed to do it for Me.
    Then they will go away into eternal punishment, but those who are just and upright and in right standing with God into eternal life. Matthew 25:35-46 (Amplified)

Christi