David Bonifacio

I thought I’d hammer something out before hitting the gym.

It’s been an interesting week for my father and I as we shot scenes for The LEGO Principle app at The Grove Studios tucked somewhere in the Central Coast of Australia. Every day has been full and I’ve had to follow this up with my own responsibilities. God is so gracious to us to involve us in His great work of ongoing creation and recreation. Despite our limitations, our evil inclinations, and the shame of our past, God, who sees all, chooses to give us another day, another opportunity to enjoy the life He has given us according to His original design.

I use the words “us” and “our” deliberately to emphasize my strong belief that EVERYONE is called to an amazing life. Many times we miss this because we’re looking at the wrong places and the wrong things. Sadly, this is because we’ve been taught to look at and admire the wrong things.

That’s why there’s this small group of “elite” human beings, the rich ones, the smart ones, the beautiful ones, the glamorous ones, the talented ones, the connected ones, the powerful ones, the winners, the sexier ones – the great ones. The religious world has their own version: the wise ones, the behaved ones, the active ones. These are the people we clap for and award. These are the ideals that we honor and teach our children to honor. The majority of people are either fighting to join them, wishing to join them, worshipping them, or saddened they’re not one of them.

What about those who are neither of these? Is my value dependent on how close I get to these ideals? Is the value of a person dependent on how close he is to these?

The problem with these ideals is that they automatically draw lines that separate people. Don’t you see that the greatest bigotry in society is not even racial or gender but between us and our selfish ideas and selfish ideals? If someone is not rich, then he is poor. If someone is not smart, then he is dumb. If someone is not beautiful that he is ugly. If someone is glamours than he is unglamorous. If someone is untalented then he is ordinary. If someone is not connected then he is isolated. If someone is not powerful then he is weak. If someone is not sexy then he is unhealthy. If someone is not great then he is a mediocre. If someone is not religious then he is sinful. If someone is not wise then he is foolish. If someone does not behave as we want then he is misbehaving. If someone is not active in church then he is an inactive human being. All these statements are generalized fallacies.

You’ll never understand this if you seek greatness in the way the world understands it. I know people always say that “You can be great!” and they go on to tell you how the same way the world does which is “You can be great IF you reach these ideals. If you become rich because you prayed and saved and worked hard. If you become popular by showcasing your talents. If this. If that.”

Let me explain.

God made it so that everyone could be great because everyone can serve.
He says, “If you want to be great, great in my eyes, you must be the servant of all.” And everyone, from youngest child, to the oldest, man or woman, smart, dumb, handicapped, healthy, weak, talented, whatever, can serve.

God also made it so that the best way to please Him is simply to have faith. And everyone can have faith.
The inferior audiences of the world need us to prostitute ourselves. The superior audience of one, God, needs us only to trust in Him. To trust Him for what? To trust Him to save us. Even when He asks of us, He asks of us to be expectant of the good He has planned.
God made it so that the most fulfilling thing in life is to love and be loved.

The Biblical view shows this as:

To find someone so beautiful that you lay your life down for them and to be found so beautiful that someone lays their life down for you.

Everyone can love. You don’t have to be special to love your neighbor. You only need to lay your life for them in living as excellently possible with the benefit of others in mind. You don’t need to be a “great person” to serve your parents, you only need to be available, accepting, affirming, and affectionate (as my dad likes to teach).

God made it so that everyone can love and so enjoy the most fulfilling thing. And everyone is loved by God, so that is fulfilled. God found you so beautiful that He laid His life down for you.

I write this because I get really bothered when I get emails and messages about how “lucky I am” or how “cool my life is”. There are many things you don’t know about me – and about every single person you admire. They’re more like you than you think. They’re probably uglier inside than you. Don’t worship man.

Instead, YOU be great by being the servant of all. YOU have faith and so please the universe’s greatest Audience. YOU go love and YOU go enjoy God’s love daily in daily prayer and worship because that’s where fulfilment lies.