Do you ever feel this pressure? To do something great? To fulfill your calling and use all your gifts to their full potential and live an exciting life and travel the world and gosh that all sounds exhausting?

As a believer, millennial and single 26-year-old, I feel all the responsibility/pressure/desire to do something great with the time I have. “You’ll never get this time back,” wives and mothers often tell me. “Take advantage of this time while you have it.”

There’s a lot of freedom in hearing that. What a gift to have this time! But on the flip side, it can feel like a crushing weight if life doesn’t feel exciting, fun, busy or purposeful enough.

So often I want travel, friends, busyness or serving to fill me. I want to sound cool in conversation and have something to chat about at the end of the day. I want something to fill my time until what I actually want comes along. I want to feel satisfied and for people to think I’m great. But gosh, my selfish heart is exposed! (shocker)

Just like in the Beatitudes, God flips our idea of greatness on its head: The poor in spirit gain the kingdom. The meek inherit the earth. Greatness in the world’s eyes is lowliness in the kingdom. Lowliness in the world’s eyes is greatness in the kingdom.

Lowliness in the world’s eyes is greatness in the kingdom.

When we commit our lives to God, we’re saying, “I desire ____. My flesh struggles with ____. But I’m willing to go. I’m willing to be counter-cultural. I’m willing to use my gifts, time and resources for kingdom purposes. So, here I am.”

“Do something great,” you say? Ultimately, to do something great with your life means to lay it down, and the greatest example is Jesus’ death on the cross. It wasn’t flashy — it meant full exposure at the top of a hill. It meant insults from the culturally popular. It meant bearing the weight of sin. You can’t get lower than that. Jesus did something great and it was only seen by a few that day.

Scripture says that Jesus descended into hell… the lowest of the low. But, by the power of God for the glory of God, He was exalted to the highest place! The word spread. The Spirit came down. The church grew. His lowliness meant His greatness… for all the world to see and experience.

So, this Christmas, let’s begin here: your life doesn’t need to be exciting (everybody breathe a sigh of relief). To do something great means to lay your life down one action at a time.. make a meal, feed your baby, call a friend, pick up your Bible.

Do something great.