Saturday, November 23, 2013

Brand Recognition

Have you ever watched the Red Carpet interviews when Awards shows air on television? If you have, then you know that the first question that celebrities are asked by the interviewers is, "Who are you wearing?" And the celebrity responds by giving the name of a top designer. You never hear the celebrities say, "I don't know, I just picked this up at the mall." No, every celebrity on the red carpet is careful to select a top designer, or an up and coming designer with clear brand recognition. These people know that the designer label that they are wearing is almost as important as the award itself. Even the lesser known celebrities want to be seen in the top brand names. There are certain designer labels that are so easily recognized at these red carpet events that no one needs ask the question, "Who are you wearing?" Or, certain designers are identified almost exclusively with certain celebrities, so there is never any guesses about who they are wearing. When Hillary Clinton was First Lady, she always wore Oscar de la Renta. He was even the designer of her Mother of the Bride gown when her daughter got married. Before the sketches for her inaugural gowns were released, even before word of what she would wear to her daughter's wedding got out, reporters were speculating that she would be wearing an Oscar de la Renta gown. Mrs. Clinton was known for her preference for and tendency towards wearing gowns from the De la Renta line, so it was never a surprise when she stepped out in a gown by the well known designer. Which brings me to the thought that sent me writing this evening...as Christians, are we concerned with brand recognition? Does the life we live easily identify us as being of the Household of Christ? The Apostle Paul admonishes us in Romans 13:14, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (ESV) When you step out onto the "Red carpet" of life do the people around you have to guess who you are wearing? Does your conversation say, "Of the Household of Christ" or does it say "gratifying the desires of my flesh" because you are prone to gossip, crude language and hurtful words? When someone needs prayer, do they seek you out because your daily life identifies you as having "put on the Lord Jesus"? When celebrities seek out designers for the awards season, they don't want just any old designer. They don't pick the guy whose designs end up on the worst dress list year after year, no they choose top of the line designers because they know that at some point during the night a reporter is going to stick a microphone in their face and ask the question, "Who are you wearing?" We should also be mindful beloved, what we are showing the world as believers, in Galatians 3:27, Paul again reminds us of who we are wearing, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (ESV) As saved men and women of God we are wearing the "Brand" of the living Christ! Does the world see that in you? Do they know who you are wearing or do they scratch their heads in confusion when you say that you are a Christian? Many people believe that the word Christian is translated "little Christs" but in truth, the translation means "Of the household of Christ." If we belong to the Household of Christ, the world should easily recognize that we are wearing His “Brand”. When we step out, we should be wearing a loving attitude, our joy and peace should be evident, we should treat others with patience, kindness and gentleness. We should be an example of goodness, faithfulness and self control. These are the things that will identify us as wearing the "Brand" of Jesus Christ. You would never see a celebrity altering a gown by Vera Wang or Carolina Herrera, because they want everyone to know that they are wearing a gown from these notable designers’ lines. Our desire should also be that every person we meet will see a true and unaltered Christianity that draws them to our Savior. So here is my question for you, dearly loved ones, who are you wearing and are you easily identified with His brand? I don't know about you, but there are plenty of days that I know I don't wear the brand well, but my prayer and my sincere desire is this, having put on the Lord Jesus, I want to wear Him well! What about you? The world is watching to see who we are wearing, so let's wear the "Brand" in a manner that is worthy of the designer!

No comments:

Post a Comment