First impressions are everything in marketing aren’t they? Television commercials are designed to assure that your first impression of a company’s product is tied to something desirable. Depending on the product it could be the adoration of countless bikini clad women, the success of a large and perfect house, or car, or bank account… the list goes on. Mountain Dew had an especially entertaining one that involved running as fast as a cheetah or going head to head with a big horn sheep. As ridiculous as those ideas are, the first impression is pretty extraordinary and that bodes well for the product.
Christendom has assumed many of these values. Missions is seldom marketed as mundane. The idea of living and doing and eating the same thing for the rest of ones life is not the stuff a successful marketing campaign is made of. Nope, we want exotic places, exotic people, a life full of excitement! We want to saddle up our horses and go on a great adventure. Well, I have an exotic life. I have a banana and mango tree in my back yard, I am gaining proficiency in speaking a very beautiful language, my family and I are on a great adventure! There is a catch. After only a short time what seems exotic to someone else is now just the norm for us. In fact, it is no different than what anyone else would call a rut. It can easily seem like the same thing just a different day and if great adventures were what motivated us then we would no longer be motivated. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy adventure, when the opportunity presents itself. It would just be difficult to accept that this is our life, and do it as unto God, if we had been sold on white water rapids, smoke machines, and laser light shows.
What we should be sold on is Jesus’ marketing campaign. The kingdom of God, the reality, the war for souls, the work to be done, the cross. Our reward? If we lose our lives, we will find them, but if we find our lives…
Wherever we are in this world we, ourselves, and the people we live life with, would not refer to it as exotic. People here think America would be an exotic adventure. Life is not like a 2 hour action movie during which any more than 5 minutes of lull will bore our viewers. Life is service to God in whatever form He desires. This should be our marketing motto: “come and die, maybe even of old age”. Or how about: “Anyone who sets his hand to the plow and turns back is not worthy of me.”? If someone has never plowed before, it may sound exciting, but give it a week or two. It’ll wear off. Then you’re just plowing, day in, day out, plow, plow, plow… type, type, type… talk, talk, talk… Whatever it is God has us doing, chances are, if we are any good at it, we do it a lot. Even if for some reason He wanted me to bungee jump 10 times a day for the rest of my life I cannot imagine lasting too many days before it became mundane. In fact, I’m very glad He hasn’t asked me for that. It would make for some great video, set to some loud driving music, wow! … Seriously though, not wow.
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” - Philippians 4:12
I think maybe we’re on track here too. Contentment is only found in the assurance that we are right where God wants us. Everything else fails to satisfy. So Lord help us not be fickle, and aimlessly tossed like waves. Set our feet on The Rock and use us where we are now, especially if we are to spend our entire lives here.