Irony of the Graphic

Soul management and image management are mutually exclusive.

Yes, I agree. In fact, it resonated so deeply that I sat in it for a bit. When I reread it, I thought it odd. The words themselves were powerful, heavy in truth and accountability, but the graphic that presented the power also belied it. Along with the words was an image of the speaker on stage.

I personally know the speaker, and I am fairly certain he didn’t create the graphic. He didn’t share the graphic. He simply spoke the words. The graphic was created by someone else in the organization he serves—someone who should have caught the irony.

It is important to keep image management in perspective, not to build the image but to build the truth. When positioned with soul management, image management is nearly completely eclipsed. There will always be a sliver because of pride, but we sometimes rationalize it as other things that are more palatable than pride—positioning ourselves for ministry, caring for self, protecting self from losing what is ours. But do you hear the problems with those areas? Self.

Soul management never disregards self. Soul management simply keeps the proper posture of self. To care for our souls requires humility. It is less about creating a soul we believe to be best and yielding to the pure purpose of the soul God gave us.

Let’s not belie our soul management by letting image management creep in. It requires constant attention and effort. Instead of placing the words of our lives on a backdrop of our image, we let God determine the backdrop of the words we speak, so glory is appropriately assigned.