Chasing Popularity as Writers (When We're Made for More!)

If you want to make writing a career, you’re going to need a platform. Creatives dread the thought of building a platform and all the self-promotion that comes along with it. They just want to write, and have people buy and read their works without ever establishing a connection with their readers. Platform intimidates writers, especially more introverted ones. People might never find your writing in the midst of a thousand voices vying for attention on the internet. You can barely make friends at school. How could you ever catch and hold the attention of thousands of people who know nothing about you?

Writing success often seems like a popularity contest. After all, you have to know professionals to get into the industry and convince readers that your writing is worth their money. Then, on top of all that, there are already thousands of writers out there working towards the same thing as you in the same overcrowded space, who seem to be doing a much better job to boot. Why do they have hundreds of followers when you have ten? Popularity ensnares all who seek after it with the purpose of glorifying themselves instead of God. God gifts everyone with an audience to reach for Him, no matter how small. A believer’s worth as a writer or a person is not based on the number of likes a post gets on social media; their worth is found in Christ alone.

Spotting False Identity: Popularity Style

Popularity: a lot of people liking a person and what they do. Some people seem to naturally gain favorable attention from their peers. Think about the popular kids at school. They’re considered cool or good-looking or athletic and others like them because of these qualities.

Gaining popularity seems simple from that standpoint. You can just imitate the popular kids . You b uy fashionable clothes , slather on some makeup, or try out for the football team with the hope of achieving their highly coveted status. Unfortunately , trying to be like the cool kids doesn’t usually make you cool; it makes you a Wanna-Be that will do almost anything just to be popular. These types of people are often used by m anipulative people to do their dirty work because they are willing to compromise their morals for the sake of attention. They lose their soul in their attempts to gain the world, and it doesn’t profit them anything ( Matthew 16:26, ESV).

Sense of identity in popularity is rooted in comparison, ultimately leading to discontentment and pride. Comparison steals joy faster than you can check your latest post for comments. One way I often struggle with comparison is in my art. I am not an artist, but when I do dabble in improving my artistic skills, the worst thing ever is seeing some artsy person’s latest masterpiece. It totally wrecks any sense of achievement I’ve gained sometimes just seconds ago, and I begin to wonder why God didn’t make me artistic. Instead of being thankful for the progress I’m making towards creating better art, comparison leads to discontentment with what I’ve made and ultimately how God’s made me. Pride jumps in when I believe that I could design myself better than God did. The molded has no right to ask its molder why he made it in a certain way (Romans 9:20, ESV). God has made all his creations fearfully, wonderfully, and with the good works that they will

Sense of identity in popularity is rooted in comparison, ultimately leading to discontentment and pride. Comparison steals joy faster than you can check your latest post for comments. One way I often struggle with comparison is in my art. I am not an artist, but when I do dabble in improving my artistic skills, the worst thing ever is seeing some artsy person’s latest masterpiece. It totally wrecks any sense of achievement I’ve gained sometimes just seconds ago, and I begin to wonder why God didn’t make me artistic. Instead of being thankful for the progress I’m making towards creating better art, comparison leads to discontentment with what I’ve made and ultimately how God’s made me. Pride jumps in when I believe that I could design myself better than God did. The molded has no right to ask its molder why he made it in a certain way (Romans 9:20, ESV). God has made all his creations fearfully, wonderfully, and with the good works that they will do for His kingdom in mind, so you can trust that He made no mistake when He made you (Psalm 139:14; Ephesians 2:10, ESV).

Discontentment with how God has made you is a sign of a lack of trust in God. God created you and placed you in the exact circumstances and circles He wants you to be in (Esther 4:14, ESV). This lack of trust often stems from forgetting your purpose: glorifying God. Humans naturally want to glorify themselves, so when others get more glory than them, it produces jealousy, frustration, and ultimately discontentment. Believers, however, know that their purpose is not in glorifying themselves, but in glorifying God. You become discontent when you forget that you were bought with a price and made to glorify God with your body, not yourself (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV).Unbelievers become discontent when things don’t go as planned, but believers know that God’s purpose for their lives will stand (Proverbs 19:21, ESV).

While an identity rooted in popularity causes you to focus on promoting yourself to the world, so that they like you and what you do, an identity rooted in Christ causes you to focus on promoting Him to others. It makes you want to seek first the kingdom of God instead of seeking yourself first (Matthew 6:33, ESV). Instead of compromising for the sake of man’s approval, believers seek approval from God because they are servants of Christ (Galatians 1:10, ESV). Serving God is ultimately easier than the ever-changing opinions of man. God does not lie or change His mind like man does (Numbers 23:19, ESV). Believers are called to be imitators of God, not imitators of what the world wants (Ephesians 5:1, ESV).

Destroying Discontentment

God has given believers the ability to overcome discontentment and jealousy through gratitude. When you begin to compare yourself to others, take a step back from what’s making you jealous. Close out social media and stop looking at how many followers' others have. Take your mind off the writing success of others that came through knowing someone in the industry. Instead, count your blessings. God gives believers every good and perfect gift as well as all that they need for life and godliness (James 1:17; 2 Peter 1:3,ESV). He faithfully provides for believers, so they don’t have to covet what others have.

Secondly, rest in God’s plan for your life. Countless verses of Scripture command believers to wait on the Lord. Believers don’t need to fret over those who prosper because when they wait on the Lord and trust Him with their plans, He will act (James 1:17; 2 Peter 1:3, ESV). God renews the strength of those who wait on Him (Isaiah 40:31, ESV). Those who wait on the Lord and serve Him will be exalted (Psalm 37:34, ESV). The pairing of waiting and serving in Psalm 37:34 holds an important truth. Believers should not wait in the sense of inactivity; they should wait like a waiter waits tables. Waiters don’t sit around; they serve customers. When believers are called to wait on the Lord, they are serving Him by keeping His commandments. Believers show their love for God by keeping His commands (John 14:15, ESV). Because they love God, they can be assured that He is working all things out for their good (Romans 8:28, ESV).

As a result, God will begin to show you the areas you can grow. Some self-examination questions you can ask yourself when bogged down by popularity are, “Why should people follow me?” and “What do I have to give them?”. Only your family is going to buy things from you just because they love you. You have to build trust with your potential followers, a trust that’s built around serving them. Believers are called to use their gifts to serve one another, and people naturally are drawn to those who have something valuable to give them (1 Peters 4:10, ESV). Another aspect of building a following is your character. People like people that are likeable. Are you loving? Are you kind? Are you faithful? Are you exhibiting the other fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)? Growing in these characteristics will transform you into a role model God wants others to follow. God will send the right people to you because of the light that you shine for Christ in the midst of a crooked generation (Philippians 2:15, ESV). Instead of chasing after those of this crooked generation who don’t want what you’re offering, trust that God will draw all who need to hear the message your writing conveys.

“Believers should not wait in the sense of inactivity; they should wait like a waiter waits tables. Waiters don’t sit around; they serve customers. When believers are called to wait on the Lord, they are serving Him by keeping His commandments . Believers show their love for God by keeping His commands, (John 14:15, ESV).”

Sum Up

When you find yourself trapped in the popularity contest that building a writing platform seems to be, wait on the Lord instead of trying to direct your own path in the way others took to popularity. Everyday God is preparing you for the good works you will do for His kingdom (Ephesians 2:10, ESV). Following God’s lead will make you ready for the future God has planned for you. Even if you can’t see how God could possibly use your writing right now, God works behind the scenes in ways you cannot imagine until He decides to unveil them. When that time comes, you’ll look back and know that “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me (Psalm 138:8, ESV). He will miraculously use the unique way He designed you to advance the kingdom. Until then, keep pressing on and seeking to glorify God in your writing. The Lord will act in the lives of those who wait on Him (Psalm 37:5, ESV). Only one of your readers can help you discover the unique quality of the voice that he gave you...and you won’t hear his still, small voice if you’re scrambling to accommodate the demanding shouts of others.