MISCELLANEOUS MONDAY: The Awkward Stage of a Christian’s Self-Promotion - Stephen

Imagine for a second a world without TV commercials. No YouTube or Facebook ads. No fast-food coupons in your mailbox that you always forget to use. No being invited to like the social media page of this clothing boutique, weight-loss program, or life-changing skincare product. NO PROMOTION OF ANY THING!!

 

Sounds like heaven doesn’t it? And all God’s people said—Amen!

 

I mean, who needs those commercials? Who really needs the next all-natural skin care product that promises to be more natural than their last all-natural formula? Which parent really wants to tell their kids “no” a million times as Christmas toys are advertised around the clock while Mickey Mouse just keeps grinning at you because he can see your money coming his way?

 

WHO NEEDS OR WANTS PROMOTION… not us right?

 

And all God’s people said—Amen!

 

For who does someone have to think they are to spend the time to create something and then constantly harass someone else to watch it, buy it, or take part in it? (Ever had this thought? —I have.) Many of us have been taught from a young age in Sunday school that pride comes from the devil so we don’t ever want to appear like we are encouraging or taking part in promotion of any sort, especially self-promotion. THAT WOULD BE LIKE BEING AN ACCESSORY TO A CRIME (i.e. sin)!

 

And all God’s people said—Amen!

 

But, then again, if God is a Creator and we were created in His image, is it possible that we might want to create something as well? Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3), Lydia was “a seller of purple” (Acts 16:14), and even the “virtuous woman” of Proverbs 31 “maketh fine linen, and selleth it.” How would the woman have known her linen was considered “fine” had she not gone public with the creations of her hands and was at least willing to hear and receive the feedback of those who purchased it? If the Apostle Paul was a tentmaker (Acts 18:3) to help fund his ministry, don’t you think he had to promote, mention, and even be willing to tell people of his craft?

 

And here’s where the dilemma comes for us Christians—we seek to stay humble while, at the same time, we desire to create things according to the giftings God has given each of us. We create things primarily for the glory of God but also for the encouragement and admonishment of His church. But how can people know about that which we have created for God’s glory and their encouragement without putting it out there for them to see?

This has been the biggest dilemma within our hearts in creating The Middlings blog. Our goal has never been to reach the masses but to encourage the individuals who take the time to read it. But how will you read it if you have never heard about it? And how will you hear about it without it seeming like self-promotion? IT. REALLY. IS. AWKWARD.

 

Will individuals see our blog shares on our personal page and think we are gloating? Will they see our posts and think we are trying to attract a crowd, become an “influencer”, or achieve some level of popularity? These are new questions that Ben and I have both faced over the last month following the creation of this blog.

 

Yet within this awkward stage, God gave us this question in return that we now pose to you—would He ever give a desire to someone He wanted them to keep secret for their entire life?

 

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”

Psalm 37:4

 

According to this verse our job as Christians is to diligently delight in God more than anything this world can offer. God in return promises us the desires of our hearts. Why? Not because we held to “our end of the bargain,” but because if we delight in Him above all else, His desires will then become ours.

 

For Ben and I, although we are very different people, we know God has given each of us a desire to write, a heart for His church, and words in our heads that we think might benefit those who read them. In your case, He may have put a song on your lips, a needle and thread in your hands, an ability to jump, catch, and throw, or maybe a mind that understands the ins-and-outs of technology while the rest of us keep endlessly restarting the computer hoping for a different outcome.

 

The realization of this God-given desire is there but then the moment of acting upon or even promoting (gasp!) this desire is now upon you! What do you do with those nervous, sweaty hands that come at the point when you are about to move forward with it? Do you continue moving forward or walk away from the desire because of the awkwardness of it all?

 

If we can encourage you with one thing it would be this—embrace the awkwardness—not of self-promotion but the promotion of God’s desire He has placed on your heart and run with it. (Just not with the actual needle if that was yours referenced above.)

 

Like a middle-schooler with a new set of braces we felt awkward when we encouraged YOU to read our blog.We have awkwardly encouraged YOU to join the discussions. And we have awkwardly welcomed YOU to Middlings…but no longer as just a reader but as someone who, maybe like us, finds yourself as a Christian in the middle of this awkward stage of self, better yet, God-desire promotion.

 

From this point on, may we confidently move forward in this stage together with this verse as our guide:

 

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”

 1 Corinthians 10:31

 

And all of us as God’s people said—

What will 2021 look like because of 2020? Ben’s Response to Stephen

Stephen’s conclusion was spot on: 

“So what will 2021 look like because of 2020? Without God’s help and a conscious effort, we’ll go back to ignoring the health concerns of others, dinner will once again come out of a microwave, people in the same room will again be strangers lurking behind the screens of our phones, and besides a drawer full of unused masks and a closet full of hand sanitizer we are trying to unload on Ebay, it will all probably look exactly the same. Finger-lickin', french-fry snackin' here we come again...That is…unless…we prefer the taste of changing history instead.”

 

While I advocated for human beings allowing God enough space to change us every day, the harsh reality is that after He has changed us, often those changes are made mute when we return to what we were before.  (Yes, I know that was a long sentence. No, I didn’t want to change it. Yes, my wife wanted me to.) 

Character regression occurs when we allow circumstances to passively change us rather than actively working to make ourselves better. Every day ought to be a little pandemic in that the old self gives way to the new self (cf. 1 Cor. 15:31; 2 Cor. 5:17 Col. 3:10). Circumstances—both favorable and unfavorable— give us an opportunity to change. If we do not, in some way, use each opportunity to grow we will find we’ve squandered life’s biggest gift: growth.

What Will 2021 Look Like Because of 2020? - Stephen's Answer

Think back to September 11, 2001, do you remember where you were? I don't. Truthfully, I remember very little of that fateful day because the anesthesia had done its job for an early morning knee surgery. It wasn’t until about 10 o’clock that night that I finally understood (albeit slightly drugged) that the foreign terrorist attacks had occurred in our country and fear had enveloped our society.

This fear was so great that it changed the lives of countless people that following Sunday. A Barna study showed that there was an uptick of 25% in church attendance immediately following these attacks. People changed their regular routines all because of the present circumstances they now faced. 

Fast-forward to 2020. Once again, everything has changed because of our present circumstances, hasn’t it? The fear is so great that it has changed countless lives and routines that had been a part of our lives long before the coronavirus.

 

-     Masks are worn second-nature where once we never owned one.

-     Hand sanitizer usage is at an all-time personal high. (Insomuch that the days of licking our fingers while snacking on some french fries is now a bad idea.)

-     We’ve been forced to consider the health situations of other people where once we never did.

-     We’ve had to consciously slow down in the pace of our lives where once we were too busy to even cook dinner apart from a microwave.

-     We’ve rediscovered the joy of simply being with the people that are closest to us where once we had forgotten they were sitting on the other side of our smartphones.

 

Needless to say, if we’re honest things have changed for all of us because of this virus (among other present circumstances in our society that we will get into on a later date). 

 

I digress back to the initial question, “What will 2021 look like because of 2020?” The short answer is that it depends on the circumstances that are present come January 1. Here’s what I mean—if the coronavirus is still around come New Year’s then things might look the same as the day on which I am writing this. If, on the other hand, the virus is eradicated OR a working vaccine exists OR the threat is covered less by the mainstream media then, practically speaking,  JANUARY 1, 2021 WILL LOOK NO DIFFERENT THAN JANUARY 1, 2020. Yes, I really made that prediction. 

 

So why do I think there’ll be no discernible difference after this pandemic that caused so many fears and changes? Because if human history has shown us anything it is this—change in our lives and in our world is only dictated by present circumstances and, therefore, past circumstances affect us very little if at all into the future. This fact alone is why we have all repeated the great-old saying, "History repeats itself." 

 

Let’s go back to that Barna study following 9/11. In the same study that found church attendance went up by 25% immediately following the attacks, it also found that by November of that same year attendance was back to normal pre-9/11. Read it for yourself:

 

"The surge in church attendance has been widely reported, and while current levels of adult attendance are higher than before the attack, they are not statistically different than the numbers recorded last November, thus reflecting the usual seasonal increase. It appears that attendance, which nationwide increased by perhaps 25% immediately after the attack, is back at normal levels.”

 

This “bounce-back” to normalcy following an immediate change caused by present circumstances is a common trend throughout all of human history even in the narrative of Scripture. For instance, in the book of Judges, Israel's habitual idol-worship always led to captivity. This captivity then caused them to repent and turn back to God; who would then deliver them from that captivity. But, once freed and normalcy is restored, the Jews would return to their wicked ways beginning the cycle all over again. I can’t help but see a correlation between Israel in Judges and the post-9/11 religious example here in America—"History repeats itself!" 

 

So what will 2021 look like because of 2020? Without God’s help and a conscious effort, we’ll go back to ignoring the health concerns of others, dinner will once again come out of a microwave, people in the same room will again be strangers lurking behind the screens of our phones, and besides a drawer full of unused masks and a closet full of hand sanitizer we are trying to unload on Ebay, it will all probably look exactly the same. Finger-lickin', french-fry snackin' here we come again...

 

That is…unless…we prefer the taste of changing history instead.

What Will 2021 Look Like Because of 2020? - Stephen's Response to Ben

Change is inevitable as Ben’s proposal goes. 

In some ways I disagree because Walmart will never have enough checkout lines open this side of eternity. On the other hand, if change is inevitable I will not only suggest that Walmart read Ben’s post for the aforementioned reason but I will also participate in the inevitability by changing Ben’s subtitle to “I hate you 2020, but at least you taught me about change,” to better fit my more conservative preference of language.

On a more serious note, this topic, unlike many we will be discussing, holds very little cause for debate because Ben is correct that for all of us who embody this human flesh change will come! Therefore, it is only fitting and right that Ben points us to the God who never changes. As the old hymn writer once wrote encouraging us to enjoy this life, “Row, row, row your boats gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.” Truly one can only continue rowing in this ever-changing life if they have a foundation that is never-changing. 

A house needs a foundation—a rock on which the house can stand. And as an even better hymn writer put it, “Great is Thy Faithfulness, O God, my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee.” That’s a foundation we can all stand upon and a truth we should all take to heart maybe now more than ever.  

What Will 2021 Look Like Because Of 2020? (OR You suck 2020. But at least you taught me about change.) - Ben's Answer

Change. It is part of our everyday experience to change. 

We go from asleep to awake every morning; a change from unconsciousness to being fully cognizant. Though, for most of us, being truly awake requires some assistance. It is only after we ingest copious amounts of the socially acceptable and highly addictive drug called “caffeine” that we would actually consider ourselves to be awake. (Hmmmm…I wonder if I can get a cup right now…)

 

We then go from varying degrees of undress to fully clothed so that others would not be envious of our Adonis-like physique. Or, at least that’s the lie I tell myself as I slip into my loose-fitting cargo shorts; THE staple piece in the wardrobe of any warm-blooded American dad. #Merica

 

Every year, the seasons shift from cold to hot, and back again, as this little blue marble hurls itself through the vastness of empty space at an unbelievable speed. 

 

Change. We are surrounded by change. But not every change is as predictable as waking up, getting dressed, or the weather, is it? Most change is unpredictable. And it is with the unexpected changes in life that we have the hardest time adapting. 

 

A buckler to the unpredictability of the world is a schedule.  We love our routines, ruts, and rat races. There’s security in predictability. When things go according to plan, we feel in control of our world. We feel like we are the masters of our own ships. But—as we all know—the moment we successfully get our ducks in a row, the disordered world takes out our ducks one after another. 

 

This was me pre-COVID. I had ordered my world. The day was mine to do with it as I please. I could even go into a store WITHOUT putting on a mask! I had a system in place that allowed me to make progress on the goals I had set for myself. But then a world-wide pandemic hit and my world changed. 

 

At first, I wrestled with the change and tried to beat it back with the effort of a bull elephant charging into a thicket. I tried to maintain the schedule I had; thinking this would all go away in a month. Yes, a month. I thought this whole mess would be over in a month and we’d go back to our “normal” lives. As of the writing of this, that was over nineteen weeks ago.

 

I didn’t want to change. I didn’t want to adapt. But life cares very little for what I want. So, what is the only option for me to do? Change. Like the rest of the world, I had to change too. So, now, when I look ahead and wonder what the rest of the year may bring, and what 2021 will look like, I’m far more cautious than I once was. But I’m also far more present in my present.

 

In reflecting on the topic of change, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a passage in the New Testament. James, the brother of Jesus, reminded believers that change was inevitable and that they didn’t know what tomorrow would bring (cf. Ja. 1:14). His response was not to throw caution to the wind and to live a life of reckless abandon. Instead, he reminded all Christ followers about the one who was in control of their tomorrow: God.  He told them that in all of their planning and preparations, they should make room for a Divine prerogative. He wanted them to consciously make room for God to change, adapt, and move them in a direction He wants them to go. 

 

Our world has changed. And, if I’m honest, there are some days I feel that its changed for the worse. But there are other days where the future doesn’t seem as bleak. The only true solace I have in the unpredictability of life is that I believe God is already in my tomorrow, be it grim or golden. 

 

A new day brings new challenges that yesterday’s God is more than able to bear.