A Meditation On Idolatry, Greatness, And Caring A Lot

I was describing to my son what it was like to be a competitive singer as a teenager. 
I grew up in Texas, but was not a football player. If you happen to know anything about Texas high school football, then you understand what a problem this was socially.
Grasping for something to be good at, I discovered I was good at singing. So, of course, I became the best singer in school.
And all the football players and cheerleaders quit doing what they were doing so they could be in the choir like me and be cool. 
Because I was the best singer in school, I was naturally the most popular kid in town. 
That was a joke. 
But it is true that I took a fair amount of identity from my ability to be better at someone, anyone, at something. 
I sang at a very high level and kept going until I became a professional opera singer. Early in my career, Jesus called me to be a pastor, and singing has only been a hobby since. 
But talking to my son, I was remembering the quest to be great, if only at singing. To perform at that level took a lot of practice and drive. You of course have to have natural ability, but that’s only a starting point for greatness. 
I’m not even sure what I mean by greatness, except to compare yourself to others. I’m still a good singer, much better than I was then, but back then I was measuring against others. I was competing. I was winning in a huge field of “players.” 
This works for sports, arts, even business. What else? You may be thinking of your thing. 
Talking to my son, I felt that it would be a good thing for him, or any of my kids, to strive to be great at something. To try doing something at an elite level. 
But for a long time, I only remembered those days as the time I had an idol. 
I mean, it must be an idol. I wanted it, and I wanted it bad. I cried when I got close to winning, but lost. I celebrated when I won in an involuntary victory pose, literally hearing people (singer people), cheering. 
Don’t we usually admire someone who develops the discipline to be able to compete at the highest levels? Don’t we hold our breath watching for them to pull off that stunt, that goal, that high note, that metric? 
We do. If we feel anything but admiration, it may be jealousy, but even that is a kind of admiration.
Then I wondered: if I were going to strive for greatness today, in what endeavor? Should I strive to be an elite husband? That sounds like a good idea. An elite father? What could be more important? A pastor who achieves the greatness of truly loving and shepherding people in the church through the Word and the Spirit? A writer? A writing coach? 
Heck, a singer in my community chorus? A director of the homeschool choir? 
Is there a sport where I could compete at a high level against other 50 year olds? I recently started taking Jiu Jitsu. Imagining being good at it is nearly impossible. I am aching as I write this from getting beat up in class last night. But imagining going for a black belt is kind of inspiring. 
If I went for a black belt, would that be idolatry? Would it depend on how driven I am?
What do we know of idolatry? In the old Bible days, God’s people would succumb to the temptation to carve faces into wood, call it a god, and worship it to get more fertility in the fields and wives. 
This always led to big trouble, as they were obviously breaking a major commandment to “have no other gods before me” (Ex 20:3-5). 
They were worshiping something as the key to their success in living when God had said He was the key to their success in living. They were making stuff up about that piece of wood.
Assuming most of us would not do that, how would we know we have an idol? Do we have to really love it? I don’t think that’s enough to call it an idol.
Do we have to really desire it? Not enough.
Do we have to compromise our character and holiness? Now you’re getting somewhere. 
We definitely have to trust in something or someone more than God for it to make the cut as an idol. 
Anything can be an idol if it is the source of your worth. Family, ministry, church, other people’s opinions about you, success, comfort, politics, and about a million other things. 
But assuming identity and worth is taken care of in the fact that we were created by God and saved by Christ, then would it be okay to strive for greatness? 
God promised Abraham he would make his name great. 
He promised David and Solomon the same. 
We are to understand they thought having a great name was a good thing. David would be a man after God’s heart, God would make his name great, and David wins all around.
Work out the identity and worth thing, but then consider if you’d like to strive for something that would inspire you and others around you. Maybe you wouldn’t, and that’s okay. Striving comes with a lot of failure and disappointment. But that disappointment only makes the win sweeter.
Seeing people achieve something great is sublime for those who witness it, and even more so for those who accomplish it. Sublime things can point us back to God.
What do you think about this? I’d love to know your thoughts. If you were to strive for greatness, in what field? If you do, could you glorify God and point the praise back to Him?