Why your “brand” is not what should take most of your attention
By Dean Collins
If it looks like it’s not working, then you might be close!
I live with a lot of internal conflict about branding. All of the experts say your brand is everything. Businesses focus on it. Politicians pay lots of money to hone it. Churches have quickly pivoted to develop it. And with social media, individuals crave it and focus on it. We even teach students how to develop their personal brand. And why? It’s all about selling. If you don’t sell yourself, your products, your services, then you have no revenue and you die.
It’s all about selling. If you don’t sell yourself,
your products, your services, then you have no revenue and you die.
I’ve given in recently and I’m still a bit uncomfortable about it. If you are reading these thoughts you either were emailed this page from an email distribution system connected to my website or somehow you found my web page. And there it is, my name, my logo, my brand, and honestly it makes me a little uncomfortable. I hope it always makes me uncomfortable. If I ever get excited about selling myself then I have probably failed miserably and joined the dark side..
Hopefully this tension is rooted in the human frailty that’s common to all of us and the spiritual transformation that comes with following Christ. Evidence of your spiritual growth will be demonstrated by your honesty about yourself and your understanding that Christ does his best work when we lean into our brokenness and his power. Paul said the ministry or service we have been given is an act of mercy or kindness on God’s part. And even when all outside evidence suggests struggle or failure, we do not lose heart. We also don’t lie to ourselves about the failures or the successes.
Not me, but Jesus
Paul described his enduring ministry in terms all of us would do well to imitate: “What we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord,” he wrote, ”with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Nowhere in Scripture are we taught to seek power or personal success because of Jesus. The world’s approach to success is the exact opposite of what Scripture teaches and Jesus modeled.
The good news of Jesus is of great value. It is a treasure waiting to be discovered. At some point in your life someone explained or showed you its power because of their personal transformation experience. When the scales fall off of our eyes and we see who Jesus is and what he has done for us, everything else begins to fade in contrast to his beauty. The problem is that the messages and cultural mandates of this world work against us. They perpetually call us to look and behave similarly to the wisdom of the world instead of by the wisdom of God.
It’s no wonder then that, in moments of difficulty and affliction, we believe we are failing. What might be happening is transformation. Paul’s message in 2 Corinthians 4 reminds us how God works. There are at least 5 lessons to learn. I hesitate to list them, because I might appear to be offering a formula for success. I believe it is rather a foundation to stand on. Paul says a life patterning itself on Jesus is not about the world in the following ways:
Not strength but weakness
Not us but Jesus
Not power but service
Not outer but inner
Not momentary but eternal
The world constantly calls us to be strong or at least look strong. Jesus says when we understand our frailty we have access to his power. Paul calls us jars of clay. And in these fragile jars God has placed eternal and priceless treasures. So it is not about us (the jar); it’s about Jesus ( the treasure).
Not power, but service
Paul challenges us to see our image not as one of power, but rather to present ourselves simply and clearly as servants to others for the purpose of making Jesus visible. Here is where we have a great temptation. The world prods us to make it about us, our beauty, our strength, our intelligence, our brilliant strategy. And Jesus calls us to make it about our weakness and his glory.
When we focus on service to others we begin to develop inner strength that flows in us by the life of the Holy Spirit. It takes intentionality to pray, to read Scripture, to focus on others instead of merely spending time on what makes us look and sound good.
The result of allowing and even celebrating our weakness is a long-term payoff. When we focus on self we might have a moment in the spotlight. Our sudden success in social media, our moment of fame, our big financial win only lasts for a minute. A life surrendered to God has an eternal reward, and not just for us. Our focus on God and his purpose brings eternal results for those we serve.
So if today things feel and even look hopeless, don’t worry that your image is faltering or your effectiveness is over. You might just be living in a breakthrough moment that results in the transformation of many for God’s glory!
Your time with God’s Word
2 Corinthians 4:1-18 ESV
