Viral Pandemic

It's every copywriter's dream to create an ad that goes viral. That their design is iconic, a beacon, a siren's call to customers of all shapes and sizes is the hope.

I was one of those kids who could spot the Golden Arches a mile (or ten, if my parents are to be believed) away. It was a design and an ad that was viral to the extreme- this ploy worked on countless young eyes and minds. But there was another ad that always caught my eye, and stuck with me for all these years. And it was in no way intended for pre-pubescent eyes to be caught up in:

There was something about the image of the world covered in paint (it may have been the red, making it look like blood, that got me) that grabbed my attention and would not let it go. It spoke a simple message: Cover the Earth. Dig deeper and what it said was that Sherwin Williams paint should be used to paint everything- it's that good. Every painted thing you see should be colored in the hues of Sherwin Williams. That was the company goal, that was the hope they strove toward.

Jesus tells us to "Cover the Earth" as well. We don't use the paint brush, but we do spread His message over the whole planet. But I gotta say, it was ambitious to the point of absurdity for Sherwin Williams to say it could "Cover the Earth" with it's paint- it's downright crazy for us to say we Christians can "Cover the Earth" with the message of Christ. But then:

If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

-2 Corinthians 5:13

Still, it's crazy, and daunting. I cannot in anyway spread Jesus message over the whole earth by myself. Even with Facebook, and Twitter, and blogs, and the internet at large- it's not possible. And I don't feel called to live in Africa or China or Russia- this does not make me less of a Christian. Though, sometimes, I feel that's the impression people get from Christian leaders. Even if I had the money, I could never "Cover the Earth" as one person. But I can "Cover my World."

Earth is the planet I live on. But it is not my world. My world is the area I exist in. My family, my work, my street, my online presence, the people I encounter from day to day in passing- this is my world. This is who I can reach, who I can "Cover." If I feel that I must reach all 7 billion-ish people, I'm being crazy- and a little bit bloated with my own self-importance. But I can reach the dozen or so neighbors around me, my church, the people I work with, the workers at the stores I frequent and the people who read what I blurt out online.

That's doable.

That's my mission field.

Perhaps, it can be yours. Look around you: see the people you invest in, the things you love, the hobbies you spend time in, the things that make you come alive. This is your world. This is the world Christ is calling you to share Him with. Maybe you'll do it down the street, or maybe half a world away. No matter what, live full out for Christ in the place you are.

It's your world.

Cover it.