ANONYMOUS

Name one hundred important Biblical people.  I’ll bet you can’t.  I’ll bet that after you get past the New Testament writers, the patriarchs, a few of the prophets, some of the recognizable women and maybe one or two others, you’ll get stuck.  If I asked you to name two hundred, you would certainly fail.  This fact raises an interesting observation.  Over the course of God’s plan for humanity, there have been millions of believers.  Yet only a very, very small percentage are known.  Most of God’s children are anonymous.  And that’s probably the way God intended it to be.

As individuals, we find anonymity difficult.  Ego wants recognition.  We want to be known for something.  We may not pursue worldwide fame (although I don’t think many of us would turn it away if it were offered), but we do want our own 15 minutes worth.  In this world, we want to feel as though we are recognized for our efforts.  We want to be important. 

I am not sure that God’s view of recognition is anything close to ours.  The more I discover what God asks of me, the more I realize that humility means anonymous.

Yesterday I had an offer to write an important book.  It is a book that will definitely get publicity.  It will make a mark.  But my offer was to be the ghostwriter, the one who does the work but does not get the credit.  Only a few people would really know whose words ended up on the page.  The rest of the world wouldn’t recognize me.  As I thought about this offer, I realized that my personal struggle was not about doing the work.  It was about the recognition for doing the work.  And then I realized that my ego was getting in the way of God’s arrangement.  If God asks me to be the unrecognized ghostwriter so that this book will affect the lives of millions, isn’t that recognition enough?  My wife reminds me often that I write for an audience of One.  And if He is happy, that is all the recognition I need.

It’s a difficult transition to make, isn’t it?  We are so anxious to be acknowledged by others.  We complain often when we are overlooked at work, when someone else gets the kudos for something we did.  My wife has pointed out more than once that being a mother at home is the most unrecognized job in the world.  She may be right.  Acknowledgement is psychologically necessary.  But far too often, we get more love from a dog than we do from other people (that line is from Oswald Chambers).  Can you imagine what changes would occur in your mental character if you really played only for the audience of One?  Let me give you a hint – you might look quite a bit more like Jesus.  He seems to have incorporated this attribute of humility into every aspect of his life.

A week ago I accidentally (?) observed a spiritual mega-rally on television.  The stadium was packed.  The cameras were rolling.  The band was blasting.  The singers were gyrating.  And the preacher was playing – to an audience of thousands.  It was anything but anonymous.  And anything but humble.  It was the “Glory Show” on primetime.  I wonder if Jesus decided to stay home. 

If the greatest among you shall be a servant of all, then being anonymous must become the hallmark of a servant.  Sometimes God scoops up His anonymous children and pushes them into the spotlight.  They usually end up there complaining to the Lord that they are ill equipped.  They usually have this deep sense of not being the right person for the job.  Others are more qualified.  Others have the necessary gifts.  But God likes to pick on the weak and the feeble.  Those characteristics allow Him to demonstrate His power instead of our prestige. 

Today is a great day to discover just how anonymous you are.  Are you willing to be God’s ghostwriter?  Are you ready to have your life completely overlooked by this world in order to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant”?  If you look closely at the lives of those who are on your one hundred names list, you will probably find that they didn’t get there because of their own efforts at recognition.  Jesus had a lot to say about this too.

Millions of followers have faded into history without any worldly recognition.  But God knew every single name.  Are you ready to be counted with them?  I would rather have God know my name and be His anonymous servant than have everyone on earth give me a round of applause.