Andy Warhol was right when he said, “In the future, everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame.”
Social media offers all of us the opportunity to build platforms and gain influence. Now everyone can have followers and be famous to a group of people for 15 minutes, but there is a danger.
Sometimes, as Christians, we think the following:
“If I get a bigger platform, God will get bigger glory.”
This starts in an innocent place. We want our God to be well known. Perhaps if we were well known he would be well known too. If we had more followers or fans, there would be more people to tell about Jesus. If we’re supposed to be a light on a hill, shouldn’t we be the biggest light possible?
But over time, what often happens is “If I get a bigger platform, God will get bigger glory” gets mutated to, “If I get a bigger platform, I’ll get a bigger platform” and we lose sight of God.
At least that’s what has happened to me a few times.
Fame isn’t inherently bad. It’s a tool just like money. It can be used for good. Ask Bono about that. Or bad. Ask anyone on the cover of any tabloid about that. The problem is that fame is just so seductive, especially if you are at all insecure. It feels great having people you don’t even know tell you that you’re awesome. But ultimately, fame is incredibly empty. It doesn’t fill a hole, it just hollows you out even further.
The biggest lie in all of this is the idea that the size of your platform is somehow linked to the amount of glory God receives. That is insane.
As if God is in heaven saying, “Awww, I wanted big glory today but Jon’s blog traffic was down.”
Here is a simple truth I constantly remind myself about God:
“God will not be handcuffed by my failures or unleashed by my successes.”
He doesn’t need me to complete him. He’s God. He doesn’t need my platform to do his will. He’s God. He doesn’t need my success to fulfill his purpose. He’s God.
Does he use me and you?
Without a doubt.
Does he invite us into his story?
Yes.
Does he give us important things to do even?
Certainly.
But not because he has to. But rather because he wants to. His calling is not so that you will complete him. It’s so that you will know he loves you completely.
Build a platform. Be a light. Grow it so bright you can see it from space. Use any fame you get to change the world. We built two kindergartens in Vietnam because in a very small circle of people, this blog got “famous.” But don’t get lost in fame. Don’t ask it for your self worth. It’s not worth it.