December 14, 2006
Thoughtfor Thought for the Day: …for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. I Samuel 16:7a
Hey, I’m a Billboard!
by Lydia Rule
I wanted to impress the some teenagers my parents wanted me to meet. So I put on my new Aeropostale shirt, thinking that the mighty name of the shirt’s label alone would do the job. To my s
urprise, the teens just asked me, “What does Aeropostal mean?” I suddenly realized that I was not being cool, but instead I was a two-legged advertisement stand.
I was a billboard.As teenagers, I know we place a lot of importance on wearing only certain brands of clothing like AE, Adidas, Nike, and Abercrombie & Fitch. I will even admit that the ugliest pair of pants can suddenly become a “must-have” item if the coolest initials have been branded on them. While there is nothing wrong with wearing something name brand, we tend to think that because we are traipsing around in only top brands, that we are somehow better than those who do not.
Actually, we have just become living ad displays and breathing commercials.
View it this way, you are walking into a mall, and you notice that everyone is a giant label with armloads of shopping bags. You stare up in wonder as a label comes bouncing along beside you that reads, “Kroger Milk is the best!” Another label prances by, and it reads, “Buy Kibbles for your dog!” In amazement you begin to look around as everything from shaving cream to some brand of a pooper-scooper for your pet’s backyard is displayed. You suddenly realize that you are the only one who is not wearing an enormous label wrapped around yourself.
Other labels are snickering at your plain attire. Just so you won’t feel left out, you rush into a nearby store and frantically buy a label that is proclaiming that Johnson’s baby diapers smell the cleanest. Wait a minute, you tell yourself, what am I doing? This is ridiculous!I know the example above is a bit of an exaggeration, but let’s face up to the fact that just because something is the mode or fashion, it does not mean that you have to do it. Let the other billboards laugh, but do not give in to the thinking that you are only what you wear. You are an individual and an unique person. Whether you wear Nike tennis shoes or not, you are somebody of worth, and no amount of labels sewn onto your jeans can make you any better than someone else. You do not have to be a billboard to be someone spectacular, just be yourself!!!
Prayer: God, help me to see the worth of inner beauty in a world that places emphasis on the physical, outward attractions. I want to be a “billboard” for you. I want Your light to shine through me. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Lydia Rule is a homeschooled senior in high school. She has been published in NextStep Magazine, Long Story Short, Aboite Independent, The Torch, and
Fundsforwriters. Currently she is working on her fifth novel as well as a variety of other writing projects.
