2. Ask God to praise you.
This seems counter to what I grew up hearing in church. We are to worship and praise God. God isn’t in the business of praising me. But look again at Paul’s words. Paul felt it appropriate for followers to feel God’s heart for them. We should praise God for all He’s done and ask God to help us feel or hear his opinion of us.
One of the most prominent ways God does this is through others. In my more insecure days, I allowed criticism to fill my heart. A heart full of criticism doesn’t have room to embrace compliments. That’s what I did. I ignored compliments and held tightly to criticism. That is until a close friend noticed this and reminded me that compliments are often God’s way of reminding us of our strengths, successes, and Kingdom contributions.
Compliments from others are often small praises from God. Receive them and keep them close to your changed heart.
3. Celebrate others.
This isn’t a new idea, but it’s powerful. One of the greatest antidotes to selfish ambition and vain conceit is celebrating the accomplishments of others. When you see a peer or person doing similar work succeed, make it a point to celebrate them. Write them a note. Send them a text. “See” them; in doing so, your compliment can serve as a small voice from God for their heart.
4. Check your motivation.
Honest introspection is a chore. Which is why most people don’t do it often. When we evaluate our inner life, we turn over the rock of our hearts to see everything growing and living underneath. That dark, damp space is a breeding ground for emotional unhealth. When that rock gets tipped over, our initial response is to flip it right back so as to not deal with what lies below. But that doesn’t make anything better. It may make things worse.
The next time you’re tempted to self-promote, ask yourself, “why.”
“Why am I wanting this platform?”
“Why do I want more opportunity?”
“Why do I want to be seen or heard?”
Continue to follow the “why” deep into your heart until you find the source of your desire. You may find a positive motivation, like sharing the Gospel, loving others, or growing the Kingdom. You may also find your motivation is your kingdom.
5. Focus more on “being” than “becoming.”
For most of my life, I didn’t know how to “be.” I was excellent at “becoming,” though. I was a tried and true becomer. I saw everything as a competition to win and a performance to provide. Life for me (and everyone around me) was not great when I didn’t win. When I performed well and was overlooked, it felt worse than a loss.
My father first mentioned this being versus becoming paradigm to me. Until this point, I’d never realized that my life was always focused on what could be next over what currently is. This led to plenty of anxiety, stress, and worry.
As Jesus said, and I paraphrase, focus on today, for tomorrow has its own worries.
So focus more on what is over what might become. Focus on where God has you now, not where he may lead you next. Focus on the person before you, not those walking beside you. And focus on joy over circumstantial happiness.
6. Serve others who can’t serve you.
In the once-popular show FRIENDS, Pheobe asked, “Is there any such thing as an unselfish good deed?”
This stumped the group. It stumps me. I’m not sure.
I am flying to preach at Hill City Church in Richmond as I write this. On the way to the airport, I stopped by Starbucks and grabbed a handful of $5 gift cards to give to the flight attendants as a thank you for serving us. As I boarded the flight, I gave four cards to the attendant greeting us at the plane door. She was shocked and very appreciative.
That was 20 minutes ago. And no other attendant has thanked me. Or offered me anything free. Or upgraded my Skymiles account. I’m joking. Sort of. It’s nearly impossible to serve others without any expectation of reciprocation. Again, we’re human. But I have found the more I strive to serve others who can do nothing for me, the more focused I am on things bigger than me. And building a platform.
God is in the kingdom making business…
Of course, God is in the Kingdom business, but he’s in the little “k” kingdom business, too. God gives kingdoms to who he chooses, and his selection process isn’t necessarily logical or malleable.
For this has been decreed by the messengers;
it is commanded by the holy ones,
so that everyone may know
that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world.
He gives them to anyone he chooses—
even to the lowliest of people.”
— Daniel 4:17 (NLT)
What a great reminder. Everything belongs to God, including our platform. Whether large or small, influential or inconsequential, it’s not ours. It’s His. Our job is to steward it, not build it for our gain.
This article on building a platform beyond self promotion originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
