When I started to seriously consider my employment status here in Fort Wayne, I realized that I had to update my resume and get it out there for anyone to consider for any number of positions. I am unable to recount the number of times I sent out my resume, along with tailored cover letters, promoting myself shamelessly in an effort to improve my financial situation. Through the providence of God, I have been offered a job in the field of education!
Jesus once said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Likewise, both James (James 4:6-10) and Peter (1 Peter 5:6-11) affirm that God desires humility for us more than our own self-promotion and conceited ambition. Yet it seems that our society is built around the opposite.
In addition to an overabundant distortion in the general perception of what constitutes true quality in a person, the behavior of so many people has tainted the trustworthiness of anyone desirous to complete any sort of transaction with another person. We're all suspicious of each other. As a result, we sometimes feel insecure when we introspect deeply about ourselves. So then there exists a need to promote the good qualities of ourselves to others so that we can seem more appealing for whatever reason or another, to meet our own ends. We tailor our cover letters and resumes in order to market ourselves to potential employers. We dress up in our best clothes, put product in our hair, paint on our faces, and wear bling around our wrists and necks so that someone else will think us more valuable. And the crazy thing is that the "someone else" is God on Sunday mornings or a date on Friday nights or an interviewing employer or, even worse, a potential adoptive family looking at our profile. Seriously, as my wife and I are planning to adopt children in the future, it is sad when I browse one of the Indiana state adoption sites that includes available adoptive children promoting themselves as if they need to in order to be successful in some sort of business transaction. What's even worse is that this type of self-promotion by these mere children is what appeals to some (not all) prospective adoptive parents.
Needless to say, we live in a twisted and crooked generation! We are told such things as: "put your best foot forward," "dress for success," "there's only one chance for a first impression," and "build your own personal brand." There are actually things called self-marketing plans! Now, I am not opposed to exhibiting a healthy inner confidence in the innate God-given qualities and talents that we possess. But we live in a self-help, self-promoting generation that excels in self-centered ideologies that attempt to cut out the "middle man," that is, God himself. Instead of "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible," there is a pervasive mentality that, "all I need is myself because with me this is possible, and I don't need God." There are so many forms of man-made philosophy, religion, and programs available to use in hopes that we may achieve some sort of inner consolation within ourselves that might validate our existence and our actions. But the question is: Are any of them right? If so, what are they and why? What does God have to say about it all? This plays out in so many aspects of society, some of which I'm very excited to talk about in the coming weeks and months in our house church.
First topic: birth control. Any thoughts?
