
ADVERSITIES OF GREATNESS
- In the history of every great man are denial and rejection.
- One major sign of a man marked for greatness is that he or she sees preparation in every opposition.
- If they hate and envy you, it is preparation!
- If they gossip and spread rumours about you, it is preparation!
- If they judge you wrongly, it is preparation!
- If they deny you, it is preparation!
- If they betray you, it is preparation!
- If they fail to support or encourage you, it is preparation!
- If they mock you, it is preparation!
- If they reject you, it is preparation!
- If they didn’t show up for you, it is preparation!
- If they fail to appreciate you, it is preparation!
- If they forgot about you, it is preparation!
- And even if you failed, it is preparation!
It is usually the greater who makes the sacrifice or gets sacrificed so that the weak may be free or feed. Look at Jesus, Samson, Joseph, the apostles or even some of the world leaders who sacrificed for the freedom of their country as examples. Therefore, beloved, if they hate you, if they malign you, betray you, if they reject you, if they sabotage you, if they deny you, if they let you down, if they gang up against you, understand that you carry something great. Understand that exceptional people face exceptional problems.
People will hate, ostracize and say all kinds of things against you just because you are not what they think or wish you were, but dare to be different when the normal is wrong for great men came not to follow tradition but to break tradition.
I have heard tales of many great men and women and the trials they had to face in their lives before they broke through. And I thought I could be smart by living a very careful life to avoid similar trials and experiences. But unfortunately, I still found myself going through similar difficulties. It appears their life lessons were not to prevent me from experiencing something like what they experienced. It was rather to warn me of what lay ahead of me. Because going through them was necessary for my preparation. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no shortcut to greatness!
- Sometimes God takes us through challenges because he wants to know whether we are truly prepared for the great blessings He has in store for us.
- You can always admire great people but you can’t always wish to be like them because you have no idea what they had to go through to get to where they are.