What Are You Promoting?

So my life this semester is pretty awesome, if I do say so myself. I'm interning and taking one online class. And that is it. Yes, it rocks... in case you were wondering. But anyways, my class is all about social media and how we can best use it for marketing and promotion of ourselves and business. It got me thinking that everything and everyone serves as a promoter of something - by talking about it, spreading the word, excitement about it, the clothes we wear, and the way we act towards it or the way we act in general. Unless you simply aren't passionately living your life, odds are you promote one thing or another.

I, for example, am a big promoter of MSU Volleyball, my family and brother, and my Faith. Most college kids are promoters of the bars and drinking. Parents are promoters of their children and their accomplishments. Companies are promoters of their product or service. Some people - well most if we are honest - are huge promoters of themselves (because who doesn't love sharing their All-American type accomplishments with others?). Ok, I think you get the picture...

Yes, Dwight and The Office are awesome. But no need for all of us to toot our own horns!

Can the same be said about promotion for Christ? Do I proudly wear and bear his name as I walk by faith through life? Do I excitedly talk about how I have been saved and will get to share in The Feast of heaven by simply believing in Him? Do I always have Beautiful Feet and share my faith and the gospel with others? Or, do I shy away from promoting Christ, do I become worried about my 'image' and instead continue to promote myself and toot my own horn, attempting to 'fit in'?

Why is it so hard to walk by faith? Well, put plainly, I'm sinful! "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it." (Romans 7:19-20).

My sinful nature keeps me from being a "Jesus Freak" and having reckless abandon to promote Christ. But a) what better thing could I really be promoting and b) what a privilege that the God of the universe uses me to promote his work and love! This isn't even to mention Jesus' promotion of me before his holy Father in heaven. He's vouching for me despite this sin that's so ugly and present! Umm, mind blown, anyone?

The opinions of others and approval I crave from this world start to seem pretty insignificant, as does my own self-centered promotion. Especially when I consider the amazing works of my God. That I am loved and chosen by Him. And that nothing in this world can separate me from his hand. It doesn't necessarily make my desire to fit in disappear, but I'm at least I'm 'not fitting in' and even hated (John 15:19) for a pretty dang good cause.

Share it with me!

Walking by faith and promoting Christ start to become easier when I place my focus back on Christ instead of myself. "Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25). I don't need to muster up the strength to do it all and promote Christ on my own. It comes from Jesus living in me... from the overflowing love of His spirit in my life. Not by sight can truly become a way of life, because I'm being lead by my heart, not by my selfish mind.

So I think my self-promotion (subtle, humble, or loud as it may be) can take a back seat for awhile. And I challenge yours to do the same. Go be bold. Go against the grain. Go share the gospel. And go be a Jesus Freak. "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." -Philippians 1:21

Beautiful Feet

Intentional walking. Hmm, that seems obvious and redundant. After all, don't I always walk with a purpose, having somewhere to go or someone to see? Physically, of course that's almost always the case: I walk around my house to get ready in the morning, I walk to my car to go to work or class, and even when I get lost while walking, I still had a purpose in mind! Not only am I intentional with my steps, but efficient... getting from point A to point B as directly and quickly as possible. In the physical sense, I am always walking intentionally.

However, I don't think intentional walking is always the case spiritually as I walk through life. I often start off with good intentions, but become distracted, lose focus, and end up coasting through or stumbling along. My feet become like that of a infant and I start going in circles and take 4 steps back to go 1 forward. That, or I get in my efficient walking mode and cruise right through, oblivious to the circumstances around me. As a result, my relationships with God and the people around me become anything but intentional. Yet Jesus' whole ministry was focused on pouring into others, even as he washed their feet - the very tools used for such intentional walking!

"How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" -Romans 10:15. The disciples' feet were beautiful not only because were washed by Jesus, but because of the purpose and intentions of their paths. All of these men put their lives on the line to share the gospel, to reach out to and be aware of others, and to love deeply and unconditionally.

So, in this last semester as a college student as I am about to leave what is known and embark in another new challenge, how can I, too, have such beautiful feet? How can I be prepared for the next chapter while still leaving a lasting footprint on this one? It will take my being intentional. First, with my walk with God. Being fed and in communion with Him, recognizing His work in my daily life, and growing closer to my Savior... "walking by faith, not by sight," -1 Corinthians 5:7. Second, with the people and situations around me. Pouring into others and fostering the relationships with my friends - on a deep level so that they will remain in love beyond graduation.

Such intentionality will require my Type A personality to slow down, and maybe start to stroll through life, just as if I were walking through campus or downtown on a nice day. No time frame or agenda, just an observant, content, and inquisitive state of mind - enjoying what the walk has to offer. I'm excited yet a little nervous to embark on this walk through my blog... something so new and tangible and with such accountability! But what better way to share my journey's path with its ups and downs, pit-stops and roadblocks than this medium. So please, come along on my journey. Walk, and have Beautiful Feet.