Whose Brand Is It Anyhow?
I have trouble promoting myself. Which is why I only have 99 friends on Facebook, why I don’t have thousands of followers on Twitter. It’s not that I don’t have something worthwhile to say, it’s that bragging and calling attention to myself on the internets just doesn’t feel comfortable to this extreme introvert. Besides that, I keep hearing the echo of a long ago lecture about pride from a puritanical father.
There are many, many others at the opposite end of this spectrum. People with no self-respect, or so it seems to me, who shamelessly promote themselves ad nauseam. Hypocritical organizations that shamelessly promote the powerful at the expense of the vulnerable.
There must be a middle ground, an appropriate level of self-promotion that builds a venue where serious, important dialog can occur, not about me, but about the existence of God, the meaning of life; a stage where practical demonstrations of seeking justice, loving mercy, walking humbly with God can be viewed and engaged (Micah 6:8).
Actually, God is okay with promotion. As long as He is the center. St. Paul provides lengthy self-promotion in his second letter to the Corinthians, within the boundary of the “measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us.” Foundational to this boundary is a) realistic (true) promotion of what one has to offer, and b) commendation IN THE LORD (2 Cor 10:13-18). Paul references the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, or a mighty man boast of his might, or a rich man boast of his wealth; rather, let those who boast, boast about this: that they understand and know Me (God), who exercises and delights in loving kindness, justice, and righteousness.” (Jer 9:23-24)
So, by all means, promote thyself. As one who knows the God who delights in loving kindness, justice, and righteousness. Amen.
Photo: Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) – Balzer Park, Lincolnshire, IL