In the Presence of Greatness

Imagine having the opportunity to meet a legendary figure in any realm of endeavor that interests you. Let’s focus on people that have already passed from the scene, since we know they no longer can do anything foolish to smudge their marks in history.

Wouldn't it be fun to meet Beethoven?

For instance, if you’re a lover of music and have an appreciation for the classics, what might it be like to meet someone like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig von Beethoven or Peter Tchaikovsky? (Assuming you could converse either in their language or a good translator was available, of course.)

Would you simply walk up, give a nod of your head and say something like, “Hey, Wolfy,” or “Hi, Tchai, what’s up”? I doubt it.

Suppose you’re a huge sports fan and could meet Jesse Owens, who not only earned four gold medals competing in track and field at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, but also kicked dust in the face of Adolf Hitler, then a rising Nazi leader hoping to use the Games as a showcase for his evil ideology. Or maybe someone like Lou Gehrig, the great New York Yankee first baseman who became the namesake for ALS, or the astoundingly versatile athlete Babe Didrikson Zacharias.

Wouldn’t you feel honored to be in their presence?

Pick any other area of expertise: Science (how about Albert Einstein or Sir Isaac Newton?); medicine (Louis Pasteur or Madame Curie?); entertainment (Elvis or Judy Garland?); statesmanship (Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., George Washington or Rosa Parks?). The list could go on, but the point is, how would you react if you could meet any of these, or some other great person that comes to your mind?

Jesse Owens made an indelible mark,
both in sports and for humanity.

Chances are you wouldn’t take the visit lightly. You’d probably feel humbled and privileged to be in the presence of greatness, wouldn’t you?

Interestingly, we have the opportunity to do something like that – actually, even better – if we are followers of Jesus Christ. We can meet Him every day without ceremony, pomp or circumstance, simply through prayer and reading His Word, the Bible. Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Through Christ we have immediate access to God, the Creator and sustainer of the universe.

The people I’ve mentioned above – and others you can think of – would receive our homage because of their accomplishments and contributions to the world. If we would do so for them, as mere human beings (very gifted ones), what should our attitude be toward the Lord who made everything – even gave these celebrated individuals the talents and abilities they used in such wonderful ways?

Philippians 2:10 makes the amazing declaration that, “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” I understand this to mean all people – even those that denied or even opposed Jesus and His followers in this life.

The heavenly scene described in Revelation 4:11 tells of 24 elders gathered around the throne of God, declaring, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

I’m looking forward to being a spectator of that glorious gathering. Maybe some of those listed above will be in the crowd also, joining in the praise, truly in the presence of greatness.

The Books We Read and the People We Meet

Motivational speaker Charlie “Tremendous” Jones often commented, “Five years from now, you’ll be the same except for the books you read and the people you meet.”

Obviously, other factors can influence our lives, but there’s a lot of truth to Jones’s statement. Being an avid reader, I’ve been dramatically affected by many books I’ve read and the authors who wrote them. If you’ve seen many of my posts, you know the Bible has been the single most influential book in my life. But there have been many others as well.

Books can take us to new worlds
and transport us to different times.

I remember reading classic books like Treasure Island, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Hans Brinker and A Tale of Two Cities that whisked me to other lands and other times. As an adult I spent some time experiencing the horrifying worlds of Stephen King, and novels by John Grisham made life with lawyers and judges seem exciting. Uplifting works by the likes of Philip Yancey, Walter Wangerin, Oswald Chambers, C.S. Lewis, Charles Swindoll and others informed and challenged my understanding of God and true spirituality.

It’s sad that reading has become a second-rate pastime for many people, because every book I’ve read gave me something to think about and in one way or another, made me a bit richer person.

The people I’ve met have had an even more profound impact on my life. I’ve already written about teachers and college professors. But employers, work colleagues, friends and family members have had an impact on me no words could ever fully express.

People we encounter from day
to day enrich our lives.

As a journalist it’s been my privilege to interview numerous well-known people, many worth knowing – and some that weren’t. Hours I spent with individuals like Jesse Owens, U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson, Charles Colson, Archie Griffin and others left strong, positive impressions. I’ll never forget the words of Joni Eareckson Tada – a speaker, author, artist and singer who became incredibly accomplished despite becoming a quadriplegic as a teenager. She told me, “I shudder to think what my life would have been like if I had not become paralyzed.” Wow!

But it’s the “everyday people” who’ve come into my life, sometimes just briefly, that have had the greatest impact of all. A kind word here, a wise rebuke there, a casual comment that echoed long after they had departed. Voices of experience and insight, counsel from people who’ve “been there, done that” to help me in working through various problems and decisions.

The apostle Paul apparently also understood the importance of books we read and people we meet. Writing to his disciple, Timothy, he said, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments (the equivalent of books at the time)” (2 Timothy 4:13).

Earlier in the same book, Paul vividly described the multi-generational impact people can have: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2). When Jesus instructed His followers, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), He was already envisioning the countless millions through the centuries that one day would commit their lives to Him by faith.

So I ask you: What are the challenging, thought-provoking books you’re reading? And who are the people you’re encountering from day to day, individuals that are having a meaningful impact on your life? Five years from now, as Charlie Jones said, you’ll be a different person because of them. Especially if one of those books is the Bible.