Don't Be An *
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Everyone knows you watch the Superbowl for the commercials. I mean, let's just be real here. That is especially true in my household, where we are Cincinnati Bengals fans. Our boys have been to the Superbowl a whopping total of 2 times, wherein we lost on both occasions to the 49ers. So, I am not exaggerating when I say that really, we watch it for the commercials. (Ok, and the occasionally decent half-time shows. Prince, anyone? This year was not a year I cared about half-time, though.) But I digress... back to the point. Did any of you happen to catch the following commercial:
We had to rewind this commercial a couple of times before we all got it. (Thank-you DVR) And then the debate began on how to actually say the word "asterisk." Is it As-tur-ick? or As-tur-iSk? *Rewind commercial again to confirm that it does indeed have two "s"es.* At any rate, I got to watch this commercial a good 3 or 4 times in a row. While the whole point of the advertisement is to not use steriods because you will forever have an asterisk attached to your name thus implying you are a fake or a phony(Roger Clemmens, anyone?), I started thinking about how that slogan, that principle (if you will) can be applied to so many other things in life. No one likes a fake. No one likes a person who pretends to be someone they're not. But at some point in our lives, we all have fallen prey to the believe that it is better to wear a mask... it is better to become an asterisk than to let everyone see or know who we really are.
15 "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! 16 But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:15-16
We had to rewind this commercial a couple of times before we all got it. (Thank-you DVR) And then the debate began on how to actually say the word "asterisk." Is it As-tur-ick? or As-tur-iSk? *Rewind commercial again to confirm that it does indeed have two "s"es.* At any rate, I got to watch this commercial a good 3 or 4 times in a row. While the whole point of the advertisement is to not use steriods because you will forever have an asterisk attached to your name thus implying you are a fake or a phony(Roger Clemmens, anyone?), I started thinking about how that slogan, that principle (if you will) can be applied to so many other things in life. No one likes a fake. No one likes a person who pretends to be someone they're not. But at some point in our lives, we all have fallen prey to the believe that it is better to wear a mask... it is better to become an asterisk than to let everyone see or know who we really are.
Is my line of thinking making sense? Take for example the high school senior who is your classic, all-American good boy... plays football, goes to church, and is even president of his schools FCA. His asterisk might look something like this:
---> John Doe, Student, Fellowship of Christian Athletes President*
* Except for on Friday nights, when I like to get really drunk with the rest of the football team... and definitely not on Saturday nights when my girlfriend and I are alone at her house
Or how about this example:
---> Jane Smith, Accountant, Christian*
*Except for those times I take money from the petty cash account at work to buy my personal lunch (and not paid it back)
Or maybe even this one:
---> Joe Johnson, Minister*
*Except for those times I am behind closed doors surfing the internet
Don't be an *
Does that make a little more sense now? We all know people who aren't what they appear to be on the outside. We all know no one is perfect. We all know that most of the people around us are wearing masks to hide who they truly are. What would happen if we, as Christians decided to do away with the asterisk, to pull off our masks and be honest and real about our struggles. What if we stopped living double lives, and finally chose a path-- one or the other-- but got rid of this lukewarm, asterisk way of living? Anyone who has ever tried to carry out two ways of living knows that its tiresome, its not easy and it weighs on you. So let's get real, people! As the slogan for this campaign says:
So be determined. Be Real. Or, be whatever you want. But don't be an asterisk.
5 Lovely Words
Awesome post! My asterisk would have definitely been evident at work, where I was prone to gossip and cattiness. We may be the only evidence of Jesus that some people ever see so we shouldn't tarnish that by "living a double life."
ReplyDeleteI love the principle you pull out of this commercial! I must have missed this one as I was actually watching the game this year. Anyway, I have always desired realness in the people around me. What I am learning is that taking off that mask and being truly transparent is tough and risky, but well worth it. It does take determination not to be an asterisk. Great thoughts! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Shey! This is something all Christians should strive for every single day.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't get the commercial to come up, but I love the point that it made (and that you made).
ReplyDeletebtw-- around here, we say "ast-ricks"
but then again... this is the south :)
ok-- I just looked up the commercial on youtube, and I've definitely never even heard it pronounced that way! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts! I'd love to hear from you!