Mighty Men Are Mere Men
The earth has never been without stalwart and highly influential men. Some men didn’t only influence and shake their communities, they shook the entire world and became famous even in places that they have never been to. We turn our TVs to watch these powerful men, we go to the book stores to get their books, we go to meetings to listen to them. Some people travel several countries away just to listen to a man, not to have him touch them, not to have a conversation with him but to sit in the ambience of their vocal expressions.
This is how powerful a man or woman can get. The information age adds fuel to these influences and power. We can’t just deny it, there are very powerful people on earth. Some are powerful in ways that we do no appreciate or subscribe to, some are powerful in the way that we appreciate but whether we are pleased with them or not, it doesn’t neutralise the fact that they are very powerful people.
Before I make my point, let me say this. God didn’t create humans to be mediocre anyway. While there are people who live all their lives as common men without impact, God desires that we all grow to that position of influence. This doesn’t happen without an effort on our part. So, while God desires that you live a fulfilled life, you are the one who consciously grows into it. Jesus said:
“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:13–16
You are designed to add flavour and taste to other people’s lives as much as other people are designed to add flavour to your life. Yes, we all must not be great but you are designed for greatness and it is entirely your choice if you want to walk your way to greatness or not. You were also designed to be a source of direction to others as much as others can be a source of direction to you.
Jesus tells us why many of us do not make it to the point of greatness and fulfilment. It is because some of us have lost taste; someone can lose taste. The way to lost taste is to live ignorant of your purpose, to live without adding flavour to other people’s lives. When you are living stringently for yourself, you are losing taste. The way not to shine is to hide your potentials or never cultivate it. So, while everyone can be great, only a few make it to greatness because they are the only ones willing to come off their shelves and add flavour to the lives of people.
However, there is this thing about great people, it is assumed that they don’t make mistakes, they don’t have flaws, they can’t enter a mess and so on. So, when they make mistakes that ordinarily wouldn’t raise dust if it were common people, it becomes a big deal because people trusted so much in their abilities. The truth is that no matter how great a man becomes, the best of man is still a man.
In the Bible, we read of so many great men but they made mistakes. The scripture tells us that Noah was an upright man, he was righteous and for his sake, his family was spared. But this same Noah, despite his pedigrees, the best of him was still a man. A drunk.
I think the revelation of Noah’s humanity made the story more real. It wouldn’t have made sense if Noah was flawless, no man is impeccable after all. Noah was a man who survived the destruction. The way the story is told makes it seem like it was a smooth ride but no one talks about the trauma he must have faced. Whiskey seemed to be the only resort instead of the sentience of God’s ubiquity and we know how it all turned out.
Should we review the blemishes of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob or even some of the Apostles? But far from weaknesses, many people do not also expect so many emotions from great people. Folks often get amazed when they see great men do what people ordinarily do. For example, it will be a big deal if the video of Joe Biden dancing surfaces on the internet, it will be a sensation. How about if the video of Queen Elizabeth eating her favourite delicacy surfaces on the internet? It will be a trend.
These men are not gods, they are just humans like every other person. They fall into temptations, they get hungry, they feel tired, they feel sleepy and often feel scared the same way we do. Saint James tells us something about Elijah in James 5:17
“Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!”
Elijah was like every other man, he had the emotional issues every other person had, he had the deficiencies that every other person had. Elijah, the same man who called down fire from heaven to kill all the false prophets was the “chicken-hearted” man who ran away from Ahab and his wife, Jezebel.
The only thing Elijah did differently was that he prayed earnestly. He made a difference in his world not because he was the perfect man who is without emotions but because he is the everyday man who chose to stand out from the crowd.
Jesus, our Lord and saviour had his share of humanity. This proves that humanity is not in itself flawed as we know it, the passion and emotions we are burdened with are not flaws, those emotions and what seem to be frailties are the beauty of humanity. Jesus wept, Jesus slept, Jesus was hungry, Jesus was thirsty, Jesus was forgiving to a fault, Jesus was opinionated.
John didn’t care to hide this fact when he wrote saying “Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.” John 4:6
The humanity of Jesus was just very evident! He didn’t live like the Spirits, he didn’t command stones into bread, he didn’t command the armies of heaven against those who sought to kill him. He lived like the everyday man, allowing his humanity to find expression but all the same, he lived gloriously to show you that you too can live gloriously regardless of your humanity.
I call you blessed.
Originally Written on George’s Diary
