Monday Morning Devotion—March 1, 2021
Your Platform
Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 1 Corinthians 1:27
On my birthday this year I was thumbing through my personal library looking for helpful writing ideas. Unfortunately, my large number of books are not arranged in the kind of order that enables you to find a specific subject or title without having to take an inordinate amount of time to do so.
OK, I admit it. They are in semi-disarray. The Lovely Susette has pointed out the value of organizing them and how it will save time in the future when looking for a particular book. I might just take her up on that but this time I found a book that should help a lot with my morning devotions. It is one that I have used in the distant past so a lot of it seems fresh and helpful.
I know you can't wait to hear what book I found so here it is: "The One Year Uncommon Life." It is by Tony Dungy former football player, coach, and currently a public speaker and football analyst on network television.
Dungy is a New York Times Bestseller who openly shares his faith. The things he writes and says just make sense. So, when I opened this book to the February 24th devotion, I found that Dungy was talking about platforms.
I'm thinking here we go again. Back when I started writing and was reading all kinds of articles and books and watching videos on becoming a successful writer one of the first things I learned was that you must have a platform before you can even begin to succeed as a writer. So, what is a platform and why do I/we need one?
Writer's Platform
"An author platform can be defined as the ability to sell books because of who you are or who you can reach. It is used to create awareness about who you are and what you do."
Self-Publishing School
OK that does make sense. If you are going to convince a publisher to partner with
you they are going to want to know what you bring to the table. The platform is a starting
point.
When you stop to think about it there are all kinds of platforms in life. One that you
hear a lot about, especially in the political season (and what isn't the political season anymore?) is the political party platform. What is that?
Political Party Platform
"Party platform. A political party platform is a list of the values and actions which are supported by a political party or individual candidate, in order to appeal to the general public, for the ultimate purpose of garnering the general public's support and votes about complicated topics or issues." (Wikipedia)
That makes sense. If you are going to vote for someone or support a political party, you want to know what they stand for. Do you agree on important things? The platform would be a starting point which then might spin off into different, even more controversial
directions.
Social Media Platforms
"Most of us are familiar with social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin. These platforms help us connect with friends, family, and brands. They encourage knowledge-sharing and are all about personal, human-to-human interaction." (www.biteable.com/blog)
And if you want to get into computers and the types of software platforms are available°they are limitless.
Suffice it to say whether you pay attention to it or not the fact is that platforms are animportant part of your daily life. So, it figures that you need your own personal platform.
Here's the good news and it is what directed my attention to this subject in the first place. It is what I discovered, on my birthday, in Tony Dungy's book:
"God has given everyone a platform. Some of those are broad and highly visible, but others are small---or at least they seem that way. A 'small platform' is huge when it impacts even one other person who goes on to impact many. God is the author of our platform. He gives us the privilege of using it to influence others. Sometimes we don't see the results of our investment in other people's lives for years to come, if at all. But everyone's platform is unique, and God has a plan for it."
Dungy recalled when he was standing on the platform (different kind of platform 'a raised horizontal surface of wood, stone or metal providing a stage for speakers or performers' according to Webster.) He was there for the trophy presentation after his team had won the Super Bowl.
Here's what was going through his mind: "I thought about the many people who had built into my life and who had given me an opportunity to speak about the Lord to millions of people watching. One of those lives that God used more than three decades earlier to set the trajectory of my life on the arc He had planned was Leroy Rockquemore."
Mr. Rockquemore was an assistant principal at Dungy's junior high school who saw his potential and stayed involved in his life for many years after he left school. So, here's the point of Dungy's story that is directed to you and me:
"You may not be a Heisman Trophy winner or a Super Bowl champion, but you have influence. A platform that may seem small to you can have lasting impact that you will only discover in eternity. That's why you should never sell your platform short. God is a master of doing big things with small beginnings. And He has put you where you are---and surrounded you with the people you know---for a reason."
I encourage you to think and pray about that God-given platform you have. Your platform may not get an immediate and thorough revelation of its purpose. May take some work, some testing, some fine-tuning. Lots of prayer.
But in the process, you will grow and learn things about yourself, your life and God's plan for you. Who knows you could be the Mr. Rockquemore in God's plan to help develop a Super Bowl champion in life.
Prayer: Lord help us to zero in on the platform you have planned for our life. Amen!