To anyone with a big dream…
To all the creatives, entrepreneurs, start-up companies, artists, and dreamers, this blog is for you.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is a single sentence by Ralph Waldo Emerson—“To be great is to be misunderstood.”—which he wrote in his essay titled, “Self-Reliance.” As a standalone quote, “To be great is to be misunderstood” sounds like a caution or maybe a reminder that being great comes with a price. However, reading the rest of the essay illuminates Emerson’s deeper intent to support “crazy” thinkers, to oppose conformity, and to rebel against normalcy. To anyone with a big dream, I would encourage you to read this essay. I don’t agree with everything Emerson writes, but a lot of his points were exactly what I—someone at the beginnings of my entrepreneurial journey—needed to hear.
Here are some excerpts from the essay. I pray they shake you up like they did me.
“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the [luster] of the firmament of bards and sages. Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his.”
Translation: We must identify and watch that faint idea—that dim vision—that flashes through our minds more than we watch the well-thought-out and spotlighted opinions of others who society has deemed “wise.” Their opinions might be noteworthy. However, don’t discredit yourself simply because you don’t believe in you.
“And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark.”
Translation: As adults, we must accept the call on our lives—that divine dream—that is bigger than us. As adults, we cannot continue to shy away from that big dream before us, because when we pursue that dream and use the voice of the Lord as our guide, we are bringing light into dark places and pushing back the forces of darkness. Accept the call. Be the light.
“What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think… It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.”
Translation: When society tells you that your dream is not realistic or sensible, it would be easier to pursue that dream isolated from society. Doing so successfully protects your confidence and ambition from the critics and the naysayers. However, our lives elevate from “normal” to “great” when we are able to pursue our “nonsensible” dreams in the open, knowing that our naysayers are watching with critiquing eyes.
“The other terror that scares us from self-trust is our consistency; a reverence for our past act or word, because the eyes of others have no other data for computing our orbit than our past acts, and we are loath to disappoint them… In your metaphysics you have denied personality to the Deity… A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
Translation: Most people are afraid of “not keeping their word.” Maybe you told your parents eight years ago that you wanted to be a doctor. Maybe you told your husband last year that you didn’t want to be a stay-at-home mom. So, out of a desire to keep your word and not disappoint them, you hold on to a reality (i.e. being a doctor or full-time employee) that you no longer want. Anyone who prefers that your ideas and goals never change really prefers that you live a life disconnected from God’s word.
“Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you said today.—“Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.”—Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”
Translation: To those who may struggle with feeling “crazy” or “alone” (due to society’s pressure to be “normal”): this might sound crazy, but you’re not alone. If God tells you to turn right, do it—even when everyone else goes left, even when people remind you that at one time in your life, you said you would turn left, too. Your past opinions are irrelevant. Speak for today, and turn right. They will not understand your change of mind. They will not understand your new dreams, but to be great is to be misunderstood. Ask Jesus Christ!
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What you just read were again only excerpts and my translations of Emerson’s essay “Self-reliance,” and I only covered a few pages of it. I don’t know about you, but it made me take a long pause and reflect on my life and my many endeavors. If you have followed my life for the past four years, you have witnessed what might appear to be a whirlwind of big choices. Let me give you a quick rundown of my life starting at my senior year of college and ending in the present.
July 2016. I am going to be a doctor.
The summer before my senior year, I took the MCAT (the Medical College Admissions Test) and scored high enough to be accepted into three medical schools by December of the same year. Because of my hard work, diligence, and passion, one of those medical schools offered me a full scholarship. Indeed, I was four and a half years away from becoming an MD—a career which I had aspired towards since ninth grade—and at the end of that time, I would’ve been debt-free from graduate expenses. Hallelujah, right?
January 2017. I am going to be a singing doctor.
I and one of my roommates—who is now a brother to me—began facilitating worship nights and performing at various music events. We created a band under the alias of Three17, added five members, and began doing worship events more and more consistently.
February 2017. I am going to be a…
One night, that roommate and I played a four-hour worship event (which was supposed to be no more than two hours). At the end of that set, I went to my room to finish a Molecular Genetics assignment, and I realized that this “worship thing” was far more important to me and my purpose than I could have ever imagined.
April 2017. I am going to be a singer-songwriter.
After much prayer and seeking much counsel, I felt the Lord telling me to go for it—to leave the medical world behind and to pursue Him in a new identity. My friends and family were of course bewildered—some to the point of opposition—but I couldn’t deny the vision that had flashed before my eyes. Thus, I declined all three medical school acceptances, continued writing more and more songs, and began applying to jobs in the science field. I paid for an undergraduate degree, so I might as well use it right?
Summer 2017. I am going to be unemployed.
I was rejected from eighteen positions, ranging from Science Tech to Quality Control Scientist. “Don’t you see my credentials? Look at my GPA! Look at my research and volunteer hours! I graduated summa cum laude!” That’s what I wanted to tell those companies, but I never got a formal interview. Not one.
This summer was incredibly hard on my confidence, and it wounded my self-esteem. I became frighteningly skilled at suppressing the pain of rejection. I became numb to reading that same automated rejection letter. Thank you for taking the time to consider opportunities with [insert company name]. Your interest in [insert company name] as a potential employer is appreciated. After careful consideration, you have not been selected to move forward in the hiring process for [insert job]. We encourage you to [blah blah blah]. Numb.
Fall 2017 and Spring 2018. I am…a child of God.
I was offered a job as an associate minister by the campus pastor of Wesley of Macon (after facilitating a worship event for his ministry). This ministry served Mercer University, Middle Georgia State University, and Wesleyan College. The pay was just enough to cover my half of the rent (I still roomed with my good friend from my band. God bless him!).
This season of my life was even more difficult than the last one. I wrestled with thoughts like, “Why would God lead me down this path? He tricked me. This isn’t what I signed up for.” Looking back, I truly believe that God had to humble me and show me who I was outside of science and medicine and everything else I thought defined me. The foundation of my being was not that I was a doctor or a smart student. No, the foundation of my being was/is simply that I am a child of God, and once I understood that foundation, God allowed me to start building. (The beginning of that construction started with me asking a young lady who had captivated me out to lunch. That young lady is now the love of my life and my wife. Isn’t Jesus awesome?)
Summer 2018. I am going to be a teacher.
I applied to more science jobs and received more rejections, until one day, my eyes were opened to the need and to the opportunity to teach in the under-served city of Macon. I became aware of the cold grip of poverty, crime, and generational brokenness on the community in which I had spent four years, and I felt God calling me to be a light in the hallways of an elementary school—specifically Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary in East Macon.
I applied to three schools, and MLK Elementary was the first to interview me and to offer me a position. It happened so fast that I asked for a day or two to pray about it. I ended up accepting the position and began one of the most emotionally difficult years of my life. Long story short, my immune system became hyperactive, and if I inhaled or consumed wheat, oat, peanut, or pollen, my body would violently attack my throat. Not my face, not my skin, not my nose, not my eyes. My throat and more specifically my larynx, the muscle used when singing. I could talk fine, but during my worst reactions, I couldn’t even hum, let alone sing. Again, God, why would you lead me here? Why would you ask me to leave everything to worship you, and I can’t even sing?! He didn’t reply. But I’m so thankful that he kept moving—leading me—knowing that I would keep following him! I eventually learned that my “worship” was about more than just a song.
Spring 2019. I am not going to make it.
As the first school year of teaching came to a close, I applied to two more science positions, scrambling to do anything but spend another year drowning. Let’s be clear. Teaching was not my problem. It was tough, but it wasn’t my problem. My problem was my rebellion (but I’ll get to that later). Still, I will forever have a deep respect for every teacher who has made this profession their career. You are heroes!
Summer 2019. I am going to be a teacher…again.
I’m rejected by one job but actually have a chance with the second one. One of my friends worked at the company and told me that they were a little backed up but would be conducting interviews soon. “This is it!” I thought, “This is my big break! I’m finally going to work in a field related to my degree!” However, one morning, I heard a voice as clearly as you can hear a friend talking beside you say, “I need one more year.”
I responded to this moment—which was undeniably the Holy Spirit speaking to me—as a child would respond to his parent calling him to vacuum the house. I waited to see if he would say it again… “I need one more year”…then I pretended I didn’t hear… “I need one more year”... then I threw a tantrum… “Right now? Please, don’t make me do this! Please!” But God just laughed and said, “Whoever told you go back to science?”
The next day my principal asked me if I had reconsidered signing my contract for the next year. My reaction was something between utter shock and awe. Needless to say, I signed my contract for another year of teaching. And in other news, I got engaged!
Fall 2019. I am a teacher.
I started my new year teaching. It was amazing. Same school. Same administration. Many of the same coworkers. Just a different experience in a way that was intangible. God is good.
Winter 2019. I am a husband.
I married the love of my life, and things continued on the up and up. On my honeymoon, God reminded me of his word, “I need one more year.” And I realized that that year was almost over.
Spring 2020. I am an author and a singer-songwriter.
If we’ve ever talked in the past, who I am now is probably very different than who I was when we spoke. I have grown. I have matured, and I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. Following Christ has not been easy, but man, it’s been worth it.
At this point in the year, it appears that my allergies have subsided, and my singing voice has returned. I am thoroughly enjoying being a husband and am grateful for my wife. Oh, and the nation is two coughs from a total lockdown. With all of these things in mind, I am doing my best to teach my third graders online, and while I hate not being able to see my students, I am writing, music-ing, and business-ing more than ever. And that, I love!
Life is good. But guess what? My destination is still a little blurry, and for the first time in my life, I’m excited about it. Why? Because the fact that I don’t know just where I’m going means that I have to fully rely on God to get me there. Don’t get me wrong. I have an idea of what I want my destination to be, but as my past three years have shown, God’s thoughts are much higher than my own.
My encouragement to you on today is this: Be patient! Keep moving. Don’t give up. God has placed a dream inside of you, and that dream is growing. Do not grow weary just because it hasn’t come out yet. It’s still developing!
The Big Picture
I pray my testimony touched you. Writing it out was certainly good to me. But then, something else sparked in my mind. Parents, grandparents, guardians, and dreamers, what if we began teaching our children to pursue their dreams—the way Emerson describes, the way God desires—from an early age? What if we told our children during their toddler years that “To be great is to be misunderstood”? Maybe they wouldn’t go through such a period of confusion like I did. Maybe they could begin pursuing their dreams earlier. But Justis, how can you teach such a complex topic to a child? Well, I’m glad you asked!
I am an author, but more specifically, I am an author with a heart for educating children. The following story is the first of many stories I’ve written geared towards children. The content of the story is powerful enough to inspire an adult but simple enough to engage and inspire a child. The topic: Dreaming big and being patient in the face of adversity. I pray you enjoy it. (The link to the book is after the article!)
Again, I pray you enjoyed this story. Feel free to read it to your children and family! As you read it, your children might ask questions like, Why is the elephant crying? Or why can’t the elephant have a baby like the gazelle? I encourage you to have these conversations. Let them know that some peoples dream come true faster than others, but that doesn’t mean that their dreams will never come. Make it real for them. Share your dreams with them. Show them what patience looks like. And most of all, help them set goals. Help them dream! It’s never too early.
Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to share the article with your friends, family, and colleagues. Also, parents, have your kids illustrate a scene in the story, and email me a picture! I’d love to post it on my site! I’m beyond excited for this next phase of my life. God is doing some big things!
Much love and thanks for reading,
Justis Ward
Ella and her friend Gabby are both pregnant, but Ella’s baby just won’t seem to come out! What is taking so long?
Learn More @
https://emersoncentral.com/ebook/Self-Reliance.pdf : to read “Self-Reliance” (the complete essay) by Ralph Waldo Emerson
