Most Admired

We can be known as people of encouragement, who point others to the hope that resides within our hearts through our Lord Jesus Christ.  2nd Corinthians 1 says:
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,4who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.5For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

Sometimes we will be recognized for our personal achievement, and I think it's important that we strive for excellence in the Christian walk.  But, our goal, our purpose in this life is to obey the Lord and to exude the hope that is within our hearts.  We can seek to line up with these verses, that remind us that we can be bringers of comfort, who are connected to the Holy Spirit, our ultimate comforter. How we respond in times of tribulation can say a lot about our character, and call attention to the presence of the Savior in our hearts.

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In 1st Peter chapter 2, there is a passage of Scripture that can challenge us to live in the Spirit, so that people can actually observe the evidence of the presence of Christ within us:
11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,12having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

The Gallup polling organization releases its Most Admired Man and Woman at the conclusion of each year, and while this year's respective top 10's contain some surprises, there are some constants that you can find in the most recent listings.

Gallup's summary begins this way:

Americans continue to name Hillary Clinton as the woman living anywhere in the world whom they admire most, and name Barack Obama as the man they admire most. Clinton has held the top women's spot in each of the last 13 years and 17 of the last 18, with that streak interrupted only by first lady Laura Bush in 2001 after the 9/11 terror attacks. Obama has been most admired man in each of the last seven years, beginning with 2008, the year he was elected president.

The remainder of the top 10 women: Oprah Winfrey was second, followed by Nobel Prize-winning Pakistani teen Malala Yousafzai, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, then first lady Michelle Obama at number 5.  Actor, director, and humanitarian Angelina Jolie was sixth.  Rounding out the top 10 were former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, Princess Kate of England, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Laura Bush.

Queen Elizabeth II of England did not finish in the top 10 this year, but still holds the record of 46 appearances for all women historically.

On the men's side, President Obama was followed by Pope Francis, and it wasn't even close - 19% of respondents for the current President, and 6% for the Pope. The remainder of the top 10 includes: former President Bill Clinton at #3, then a tie for fourth between the Rev. Billy Graham and former President George W. Bush.

Dr. Ben Carson finished fifth, followed by astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, businessman and philanthropist Bill Gates, political commentator Bill O'Reilly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Regarding Billy Graham, the Gallup summary points out that:

Graham's top 10 finish this year brings his unprecedented total appearances on the list to 58. He has finished in the top 10 every year since 1963 (except 1976, when the question was not asked), as well as from 1955 to 1961. He has never ranked first, but did finish second every year from 1969 through 1974.

It's a very simple, traditional survey, and if you read the list, you see that name recognition and news coverage may drive a number of the responses, especially in the top 5.   I think that young Malala is a definite surprise on the women's list, and Dr. Carson and Stephen Hawking would be surprises on the men's list.

It's great to be recognized for our achievement, for sure, and while it might be nice to be on such an illustrious list, the truth is that most of us will never end up on a top 10 list for admiration.  Because, the truth is, the overwhelming majority of us will not be famous on a national scale.

However, that doesn't diminish or negate the potential impact of the lives we live.  We are not placed on this earth to win a popularity contest or to be people pleasers.   We are placed here with the purpose of pleasing God and making Him famous.  But, in the process of pleasing Him, I would hope that there would be actions we would take that would result in our being admired by the people who see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven, as 1st Peter 2 points out.

We can be admired in so many ways - for Christians, it could be our countenance that we exude as we allow the character of Christ to be seen radiating through our lives.  It could be the compassion that we exhibit as we see other people through the eyes of Christ.   And, it could be the comfort that we bring to people, as we walk through this life as encouragers - pointing people to the hope that is in Jesus.   Our motivation is not to be recognized for our good deeds, but to be obedient as we love Christ and allow that love to shape our motivation and our activity.