The other day I walked past my bookshelf, and this juxtaposition caught my eye—two books that have no business being next to each other.
The one is an Advent devotional titled Preparing for Jesus: Meditations on the Coming of Christ, Advent, Christmas and the Kingdom by accomplished writer and National Book Award winner Walt Wangerin. The other is Launch: An Internet Millionaire’s Secret Formula to Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams by self-made marketing expert Jeff Walker.
I was struck not only with the seemingly contradictory messages of these books but with the fact that there they stood—on my bookshelf! They were in some way emblematic of the internal conflict I feel so often.
Two Parts
On the one hand I long to be near my Maker, resting and communing in the dance of Divine Love. On the other I desperately want the businesses in which I’m involved to succeed, and succeed fabulously, thank you very much.
On the one hand I love the beautifully penned prose of a spiritual master. On the other I want to make a buck.
Give me poetry, but then don’t wait too long before giving me tools.
One impulse is all about living deeply and being spiritually attuned. The other is all about being successful in business and getting ahead and attaining the freedom that wealth affords.
And I’ve noticed that my friendships seem to head in one trajectory or another too. Not exclusively, of course, but primarily I have friends who support my spiritual pursuits, and I have other friends who support my entrepreneurial pursuits. And I value both equally.
For better or worse, this is just who I am. To deny one or the other part would be like hacking off limbs. In high school I was the drama geek who loved weight-lifting. Do you see what I’m getting at?
Don’t Call It Contradiction
So what am I to do with these apparently divergent parts of myself? What is any of us to do? I have worked with many, many authors who face a similar dichotomy. They want to write books of meaning and import, and they want people to read their books, yet they don’t want to be self-promoting.
How should we think about such contradictions?
Well, for one thing, I guess we should stop calling them contradictions. Does a spiritual impulse necessarily militate against an impulse to create and serve and make an income by doing so?
The other thing we must realize is there are different shades of motivation for either impulse. Wanting to commune with God is all good and fine and sounds super holy, but to what end? Is my doing so an act of love and gratitude, or is it an act of manipulation? Do I want to abide in God because of my love for God, or is it actually because I want God to run the world per my agenda? And do I read books like Launch merely because I want riches, or is it because I think I have something of real value to offer the world, and I want to be as strategic as possible about offering it?
You see, as soon as we start thinking one part of ourselves is good and the other bad, we do violence not only to ourselves but to reality. We must continually check our motives, but let’s not be too quick to write off sides of the self. We are whole people, endlessly complex, entire universes unto ourselves. And the God who saw fit to breathe life into clay is not taken aback. Not in the least.
We are free, friends. We are free to live out the different parts of who we are—always negotiating, yes, always careful, surely, but in confidence that it all needs redeeming anyway. And it so happens God knows something about redemption. He invented it.
Go in peace, good pilgrims.
Question: Do you struggle with your desire to be both spiritual and successful? You can leave a comment by clicking here.
Speaking of books, check out my free report: The Best Books Ever Written on Creativity, Writing, and Pursuing Your Dreams. Click the image below.
I happened upon this because my friend Marine tweeted it out—I know she’s been following you, too!—and it was another one of those “the Universe doesn’t make mistakes” moments as I was struggling with a post on spirituality…. Thanks for your ever-relevant ruminations!
You’re welcome, Liza, and thanks for taking the time to comment here!
Chad, I walked into my office looking for contradictions like this. And yes, I found many. Some were striking and others were hilarious (at least to me, and not to everyone as I found out). Thanks for the interesting thoughts and the exercise.
You’re most welcome, Skip! Thanks for commenting!!
Chad, your post is water to this parched soul. I’ve had the unique blessing of one of my books selling over a quarter of a million copies. It was my original devotional book, “Caution: Dangerous Devotions,” and took the reader on a devotional survey through the entire New Testament. God opened the doors for me to write it, and He blessed it–immensely. My book had a sequel (the Old Testament) and then both were re-titled years later with expanded content.
While the attention I received at CBA and with book signings was thrilling, I found it empty. Uncomfortable. My success doesn’t define who I am, and it certainly doesn’t make me more worthy. I like to think of what I do as being similar to wearing a wet suit when diving. When I am done, I unzip and step out of it. It is not my value as a human.
As an author, I wrestled with all the “branding” hype I felt pushed into. I am my brand, I was told; It’s all about me. Really?! Online experts shared all the tricks to make your book #1 on a bestselling list. I did none of those tricks and manipulation. Call me a rebel. Or simply call me honest. I will not call myself an “Expert” and label myself to gain status and leverage…. and so I sit like a stalled out car.
Your post was a tune up to my soul—a hope that I don’t have to settle for traveling the self-serving highway of pretension. It helped me clarify an area of struggle, and gave me encouragement that “We are free to live out the different parts of who we are—always negotiating, yes, always careful, surely, but in confidence that it all needs redeeming anyway”
My biggest struggle is defining my mission as a writer into a one-sentence catch phrase box. Isn’t this limiting God? Isn’t it giving Him terms on how He uses me? Boxes are comfortable because in them we feel security and find shelter for our identity. I want my platform to be whatever His desires are in using me, which can vary based on need and opportunity.
I have no problem with making money from God blessing my books with sales. However, I do struggle with the whole idea of giving myself a title and creating my own platform kingdom. Deep down, that causes conflict and contradiction since my genre of writing is all about God and His Word. I wouldn’t have an issue if it were any other genre. I so desire to get out of this parking garage of paralysis, but can’t seem to find the exit sign. Do you have any words of wisdom to help give a spark of clarity?
Thank you, Chad, for your passion in helping us find ours. I appreciate your integrity, honesty, and helpfulness.
Thanks, Jackie, you’ve obviously given this a lot of thought. One possibility to consider with regard to your note about coming with one sentences is that while, yes, it can feel limiting if you have the wrong sentence/mission in mind, if you have the right one, it is often just the opposite: liberating and clarifying. Mind, for example, is “I feel deeply called to help creative people do their best work.” That sentence is a lifesaver for me! It focuses my attention where it needs to be.
Regarding seeking the limelight and such, for me it’s not as much about seeking adulation as it is helping people find me if I can be of service to them. Ideally it’s just good communication, to my mind, which is also often a significant component of any marketing effort.
I hope this helps!
Hi Chad,
I have huge respect for your boldness in sharing this great post! My blog is all about spiritual encouragement/call to action, yet promoting it used to feel prideful. My outlook changed while listening to an interview with a Christian author who shared similar struggles. She came to realize she wasn’t promoting herself, but rather the message God wanted others to hear. That clicked with me.
Great reminder about checking our motivation, it can quickly become about self. God’s Word tells us we should work for our food, and how great is it to receive income while doing His work? Whatever we do in life, we do as unto the Lord. I gladly serve without being paid, but also want to mirror the Proverbs 31 woman (yes, Lysa Terkeurst lol, but I’m talking about the one who considers a field, buys it, and makes a profit).
It reminds me of a blog post I (The Holy Spirit 😉 ) wrote. I mention platform, fame, and a line in it goes like this:
Fame means nothing without the Famous One. His Name is Jesus.
If you’d like to read the post, here’s the link (I’m sharing, not self-promoting lol!). Since I’ve been following you for years, you feel like a friend.
http://dorisswift.com/2015/06/16/what-does-fame-mean/
Thought provoking!
Oh, we grew up with the orthodox concept: “making money is materialistic” and unbiblical. Dad’s a retired missionary, and though he convinced many to give millions “for the work of the Lord,” he oft forgot how people were able in the first place, to give. They had to earn it – make some money.
Balance, also has much to do with it, and how the money (especially when we accrue MUCH of it), affects us and the world around us.
What do we do with it, and allow it to do with and to us. It (money/wealth) is powerful.
I have seen in my decades in the medical field how “much money” changes people.
We all want enough – how much is enough?
Consider “minimalism” – do we need so many material possessions?
There’s not a simple right and wrong answer, I believe. Christians can make money – but what do they do with it?
Concepts touched on by Adam Grant in Give & Take, touches on this as well: becoming an “other-ish giver.”
Thanks, Chad!
Chad, I love this. You are so adept at identifying, and vocalizing our tension-points as creatives.
This particular topic is one that we wrestle with, discuss, and pray about daily in our Shop. The place I always have to come back to is “balance” – treating it like a business that intends to make a profit, and surrendering it to Him as a Spirit-led enterprise.
Ultimately, I take comfort in knowing that He plans our steps, so He already knows what success He has in store for us. But I never lose sight of the fact that we are His messengers and vehicles, which means that He expects us to do the work it takes to succeed. His lesson for the Pharisees aside, Jesus even had His disciples pick their own heads of grain that Sabbath, when He easily could have just laid out a feast for them.
I love how you call it “doing violence” when we begin to chastise parts of our self. Because, indeed as you said, it does ALL need redeeming. Amen, Brother.
Thanks for sharing, and for doing your art. Always a place of inspiration for me.
– Jo
I love this: “We are free to live out the different parts of who we are—always negotiating, yes, always careful, surely, but in confidence that it all needs redeeming anyway. And it so happens God knows something about redemption. He invented it.” 🙂
To me, there is no contradiction as long as priorities are appropriately in place. You can’t serve two masters. As long as I keep my eye on the ONE master I’m serving – God – then I can appropriately delight in what flows from that work.
Indeed, and may our eyes be in constant training as well as our gratitude for the delight.
As a former nurse and mother of five, it has been a lifelong goal of mine (and finally coming to pass) to spend larger and consistent blocks of time as my highly creative self to form my offering – a book or screenplay. I may someday lay this presentation complete at His feet.
Just as runners desire to run, and in the Bible, craftsmen who built the tabernacle had a desire to weave and carve their finest work, so do I, as a Christian artist, (a “creative,”) long to accomplish my best by using my writing skill.
From what I’ve seen, being creative and getting to succeed in the “writing a book” arena is a luxury. But “hoping to succeed” can be a very powerful motivator and pulls me onward to improve when other motivation stops.
For writing, there are very few in between occasions to lay my gift at His feet. For instance, I’ve long been “jealous” of musicians who can perform weekly in church and have this outlet to share their creative gift. In other areas, books and visual mediums, there are less in between occasions to gain audience.
Gaining audience, display occasions, money for craft, alliances with promoters are all measures of success and therefore motivating. But so is crafting alone at my desk and working it out with a Creator by my side.
Your words are true. To me, self-marketing and polishing craft are ALL a tedious business unless I keep my “contradictory” motivations and credo intact and compatible.
I too have struggled with this. I would love to bask all day in His presence (sipping iced tea and worshiping with chocolate, mind you) and just slow down and tend to my spiritual self.
I also want to write a book. But why do I want to do that?
If I weren’t a Christian, I wouldn’t have cared why. But as a believer trying to honor Him with my motives, I wrestled for a long time with this question…and my answers were less than holy. Fame, recognition, praise, honor, being seen as wise and a list of other ungodly characterics sprang up as reasons. So, I put it aside. It was a bit of time before God brought me about to the real reason He might choose to use my words; by letting me share my experiences and what I learned from them in order to praise Him and benefit others. With that as my motivation and goal, then I would feel comfortable seeing the green light as a “go” and driving through it.
As long as I’m using my gifts and talents in a way that He’s designed me to do so, however that looks for me as an individual, then there can be harmony among the different parts.
Chad,
Thank you for this thoughtful article. I’ve always believed we can be spiritual and successful. It’s one of the reasons that I’ve worked in acquisitions at Morgan James Publishing (who published Jeff Walker’s LAUNCH). Also my biography of BillyGraham was a book Morgan James published late last year. We publish about 150 books a year but 50 of those titles are Christian. Keep up the good work on these articles. My appreciation.
Terry
Acquisitions Editor at Morgan James Publishing
As I get ready to launch my first book, I do feel funny about the marketing things I’m thinking about and all the work that goes into it. But then I remember Jonah being in the whale, and I’d rather do what I need to do to fulfill my calling and when I make money, that will be part of the process, just a worker earning his wages. So be it. Everything in balance.
Chad this was a great post.If we had more writers wrestle with some of the questions you have been; I believe there would be greater release of christian creatives and entrepreneurs; which the world needs more of both.