Is greatness worth it? It seems to me that in order to do things that will be remembered after you die, in order to be the kind of person that changes the world you’ve got to give up a lot. And I’m just not sure it’s worth it. Martin Luther King Jr. had many affairs. Gandhi watched his wife die rather than violate her body with a simple shot that would save her. Steve Jobs was eccentric and odd in extreme ways. High level pastors often make the news for their secret lives that include soliciting prostitutes, affairs, and addiction. It really seems like the people who accomplish great things inevitably sacrifice much.
Most of us want to be remembered for something good or great that we’ve done. Most of us want our eulogy to be an inspiring story of greatness. But is it worth the cost?
Is it enough for my eulogy to say that I tried to be a good father, a good husband, and a follower of Jesus? Am I satisfied with being faithful in ordinary things rather than excelling in the extraordinary?
My wife just can’t understand what it’s like to go through what I’m going through. She can’t understand what it’s like to have all the extra hormones that I had to deal with while I was hopped up on steroids for six months. Crying at a moments notice, being moody, irrational, and generally having a different emotional disposition are all things that she just can’t understand.
