What's Your Name Brand?

We're studying a new book for our girl's summer group "Get a Life".  Pretty in your face-huh?!  The focus? Well, just what the title reads-how to get a life in this life.  How to find abundant joy with what we have here and now.

My sense so far is the obvious-you can have an abundant life without all the bells and whistles that the world tells you that you HAVE to have to enjoy it.  I mean if there wasn't a way to have it- do you think there would be a six week study?  I don't think so! But, you can't haul this book into every store you  visit every time you visit the mall.  You can't pluck it out of your purse when you're about to pay for that "oh so cute" purse that would look so good with that "had to have" dress you just paid a fortune for.

 I mean -really?!?!  This was so me people!!!!

I was the girl that thought that if I had the right purse and the right clothes from the right store-I would feel better about me.  I would like me a lot better.  It wasn't that my family didn't like me or that I didn't have friends growing up.  As I grew older and got married to my one true love-it wasn't that he didn't love me for who I was or wasn't for that matter.  I didn't like me.  I was under the idea that hiding behind the name brand would give me some type of identity.  Now-please don't get me wrong!  There's nothing wrong with name brands.  I'm not saying that if you shop at the mall that you're not loved by the Creator or that you're trying to be "Hello..daawling...".  But, for me I was filling a void that I placed there.  I was covering up what I didn't like about myself and putting a name on it.  To be perfectly honest-I'm not sure what I didn't like myself.  I've always just been my hardest critic.  As I'm sure we all are at some point or another in our lives. I still have my moments of looking at myself and wishing for a brief moment that I didn't have this or I was like that...or that maybe the mirror I'm looking into was really an illusion.

You see I may not be able to tow this book along, but my God goes everywhere with me.  I dive into His Word and that I carry deep into the depths of my soul.  When I begin to feel the unfavorable emotion arise I remember that my Savior not only liked me enough but loved me enough to die on a Cross for me.  I would say He's the best Name Brand I could wear in my life.