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Looking for greatness in all the wrong places. It’s not as catchy as Johnny Lee’s big hit “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places,” but it may be an equal or bigger problem. We tend to have lots of fantasies when it comes to true and lasting love. We also have a mistaken view and maybe a mistaken goal of how to achieve greatness.

Many of us grew up playing sports and imagined one day being the greatest in our given sport. Maybe you thought you could be the next Hank Aaron or Freddy Freeman in baseball. Maybe you weren’t into sports but you imagined you were a singer who might try American Idol and become the next Carrie Underwood or Jennifer Hudson. Or maybe you thought you could be the next Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos in business. But might that kind of greatness only lead to broken dreams and lots of wasted energy and time?

A new standard

It’s not a new thing to want or seek to be the greatest. Maybe it was just curiosity that drove the disciples to ask Jesus who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. But maybe it was a desire to see where they ranked and if they could then figure out how to climb the ladder to get a better spot. Maybe the disciples had noticed that those who had achieved some level of respect or greatness in the community, synagogue, or government had better clothes and cooler stuff and got the invitations to the best parties.

Jesus didn’t post the three secrets to greatness on his Twitter feed. He didn’t invite the disciples to check out the next episode of his podcast where he would lay out how to leverage your Enneagram to become the greatest in your field. Instead, Jesus pulled a child into his circle and said, “Unless you turn and become like children you won’t even enter the Kingdom .“

The disciples, even with all the time they spent with Jesus, were still having trouble understanding the Kingdom Jesus had been inviting everyone to be a part of. It was completely different from the world around them. Once you choose to accept the invitation into this new Kingdom, you take on new goals, treat people differently, and quit worrying so much about what you have or don’t have.

The disciples knew that children didn’t have status in the world. They were completely dependent on family to provide for their needs. Children had no power in society. Jesus didn’t say, “Have the faith of a child.” He told the disciples they would need to be like children with no status or power. These weren’t inspiring words for someone seeking greatness! To become great in God’s Kingdom meant being humble and choosing to live with humility.

A dire warning

Jesus also gave a warning while the child was still center stage. Anyone who causes a child to sin would be better off jumping in the ocean with a belt and shoes made of cement. I’m sure it was a startling message then. It’s upsetting now as well. The amount of evil, greed, sexuality, and violence our children are exposed to is shocking. I’m pretty sure Jesus isn’t smiling as he watches our laxness in protecting innocent children.

Maybe there’s a connection. The amount of time we spend trying to achieve status in our fields or earn enough money to be considered great likely reduces the time we spend loving, guiding, supporting, and, yes, protecting our children from those who daily seek to harm them. We have a responsibility to all the children, not just the ones who sleep in our homes.

The better goal

I’m pretty sure part of Jesus’ point is that seeking greatness isn’t the goal—either here and now or even in the Kingdom. The goal is to allow the righteousness of God to preside over all of our actions. We must look beyond our pursuit of pleasure and pain-free living and lay down our lives for others. Then the greatness of God will be revealed. And when it is, the light of our life will illuminate the glory of God.