A glimpse of "greatness"

Yesterday, I did something I’ve never done before. I attended a pro golf tournament - the Dubai Desert Classic. I received an offer for a free pass from a friend who couldn’t attend that day – the final round of the tournament. Lori and I had a lunch meeting already scheduled with an older, dear couple who is retiring from our company. I didn’t know what time we would be done, so I told my friend that I probably wouldn’t go. He told me to call him if I changed my mind.

Lori and I finished up our lunch meeting around 2 p.m. I assumed it was too late to make the tournament, but I checked the leaderboard on-line just in case. To my surprise, the last group was still on Hole 8. Tiger Woods was still lurking two-shots back on Hole 9. “What if it goes to sudden death like last year?” I couldn’t resist.

I grabbed a cab, picked up the free-pass, and headed towards the golf course. I knew it was going to be close. I arrived well after 3 p.m. I felt a little childish asking the Lord to allow me to at least see Tiger on the last two holes.

As I got out of the cab, I wasted no time. I walked straight to Hole 17 and nestled myself in near the green. I saw one group approach. Some “no-name” Europeans. They were the third to last group. That would mean Tiger’s group was next. Yes!

Then I saw him - bigger than life. Tiger stepped out into the fairway – true to form wearing his red shirt in the final round. He addressed the ball. I held my breath – afraid to cough or make even the slightest noise. You could have heard a pin drop as Tiger’s ball dropped out of the sky with a solid “thud” landing only 5 feet from the hole. The gallery thundered. Greatness.

Still on a cloud, I floated over to the 18th Hole. Finding room near the green was impossible so I settled in about 50 yards away. Then, I looked up and to my surprise, there was another living legend, tennis king Roger Federer! I must confess, even though cameras were prohibited, I took out my phone and grabbed a quick photo as he strolled by just 5 feet in front of me. Another brush with greatness. “I cannot believe this!”

As if that wasn’t enough, I witnessed another sports legend at the trophy presentation. Michael Shumacher, Formula One Racing Phnom, came forward to present the runner-up trophy to Ernie Els. Although I’ve never watched a single lap of Mr. Schumacher’s career, I could sense that this man commanded the respect of the gallery – certainly more knowledgeable about racing than me! Greatness. (I’ll take their word for it.)

Then, to top off my big hall of fame sports day, I got up early Monday morning to watch a masterful performance by MVP Quarterback Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI. Greatness. That sums up Peyton Manning.

But what is “greatness”, after all? Certainly, no one would argue that these gifted athletes – Woods, Federer, Schumacher, and Manning – have reached the pinnacle of their respective sports because they have mastered specific skills. But that’s just it, our entertainment-addicted culture measures greatness on performance. And though the annals of time may preserve their “greatness” for a while, their trophies and records will some day, undoubtedly be forgotten.

Heaven’s perspective on greatness is drastically different. Jesus said that if you want to be great in His Kingdom, you must be a servant.

So, “upon further review”, I was in the presence of true greatness yesterday. It just wasn’t at the golf course. Remember the lunch we had with the couple that is retiring? By heaven’s account, these two – Gerry and Arylis Milligan – are truly “great servants”. Gerry and Arylis have lived in obscurity on this side of the planet for 30 years serving our Lord Jesus and our organization with excellence and faithfulness.

Thanks Gerry and Arylis for modeling for so many of us what true “greatness” is all about. You will be missed but your legacy lives on!