Dare to be GREAT?

Today, at approximately 9:16 or so, I officially completed my last test in my undergraduate college career. Amidst the bittersweet feelings that I am experiencing, in many ways I am excited that I can now have the freedom to pursue and accomplish my dreams.  While in many ways, college has given me the tools that are essential to becoming a successful and competent global citizen, in other ways, it was a barrier that kept me from having the opportunities to use those instruments.  Regardless, today I read an article by Bill Simmons, a writer from ESPN, in which he was talking of how LeBron James, the MVP of the 2008-09 NBA basketball season was motivated to become "great" from the example that was provided by his fiercest competitor Kobe Bryant.  As LeBron saw Kobe wake up every morning at 6:00 am, and workout for three plus hours a day, LeBron realized that he needed to rachet up his work ethic if he truly wanted to be the best.  To sum it up, Simmons says this, "You can become great without the help of someone else, but you can't stay great without someone pushing you."  

This simple, yet profound observation is true in various ways.  When thinking of the great people, and/or movements of the past, there was always a galvanizing force that was pushing these people to achieve greatly.   The great German poet Hebbel once said, that "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion." In the same way, I believe that we all have within each of us, a dream, an idea, a movement that is waiting for the perfect opportunity to awaken our spirit.  In my opinion, the only thing that is holding us back is us.  My dad used to always tell me that I was my own worst enemy, and he couldn't be more truthful in his statement.  Nelson Mandela, one of the men responsible for ending Apartheid, or the legal segregation of Black and White in South Africa.  This man was imprisoned for TWENTY SEVEN YEARS for leading this movement against Apartheid.  Want to talk about great? Here is your man.  He said, 

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that  other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's notjust in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Nelson Mandela, 1994 Inauguration Speech

In this game of life, what is it that motiavtes us? What is the event that produces the water that subsequently causes that seed to grow? What makes us passionate? We have the God-given ability to achieve anything that we put our minds to.  To briefly quote scripture from the Bible, after Jesus causes a fig tree to wither and die, He says that;

 

"if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, buy also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."- Matthew 21:21

Now when when the son of God tells us that we have these inate abilities, who are we to doubt such words?  As Mandela said, "Who am I to be, brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world." We must ask ourselves, who will we choose to be? How will we spend our dash? Will we spend our existence scared? Lacking the faith in ourselves and in God? Or will we decide to take chances, walk in faith, and give ourselves the chance to accomplish our wildest dreams? I don't know, but I've got some mountains to move :)