16 Sep, 2009
Millions Won't make a Flower Pretty
Recession Dims Stars' Style Power
Last Thursday night, hundreds of shrieking girls mobbed the fifth floor of Saks Fifth Avenue's flagship store in New York and snapped pictures of pop star Justin Timberlake, there to show off his new fashion line.
If only his clothes were as popular as he is. Mr. Timberlake, 28, is co-founder of a fashion brand called William Rast. The brand started in 2005 as a premium denim line, but the process of expanding it into a "lifestyle" collection—with dresses, outerwear and other apparel—has proceeded more slowly than expected. The company didn't hit its first-year sales targets until its second year in business.
"Being a celebrity gets your foot in the door, but once you are there, people go, 'OK, now what?' " Mr. Timberlake says.
The struggles of William Rast, which didn't show in the New York Fashion Week tents this week, are a sign of the times. The downturn in high-end fashion is hitting celebrity-backed brands hard. Many are disappearing. U.S. sales of celebrity-licensed products fell to $2.9 billion last year after peaking in 2006 at $3.5 billion, according to the Licensing Letter, a trade publication.
(Article and Picture Provided by The Wall Street Journal.
Luke 12:22-31 (New International Version)
22Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[a]? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! 29And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
What does God's Story teach us about where we find our value?
Everyday we have image after image thrown at us. They scream, "You should dress like this! Wear these pants or shoes!" There are T.V. commercials, billboards, radio and magazine ads showing us how we should look. They admonish us, if we don't wear the right clothes we have less value than the people who do.
Here, though, in stark contrast to our society, we have Jesus telling us, "No, what you wear, and what you eat don't really matter; your real value comes from me, Jesus."
When Jesus says: "not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these [flowers]," He is making a huge statement. King Solomon was an extravagantly wealthy king. He had shields made of solid gold, numerous palaces, and he built the first temple in Israel. He had it all, more than any celebrity of our day. You can trust that Solomon had the finest clothes, and yet he was not dressed as finely as the flowers of the field.
The people in the crowd would have smirked as Jesus used that illustration, but it got the point across; the clothes don't make the person. It is all about the heart – are you seeking after Jesus?
Connecting today's story and God's Story with my story...
We lose sight of where we are supposed to find our value and get caught looking for it in accomplishments, friends, clothes, or numerous other things.
I have spent a lot of my life struggling with where I find my value. Through high school and college I didn't have a lot of self-worth, and that was confirmed as I struggled in several classes and was asked to leave the college I attended because I didn't meet the school's academic standard. That experience left me a wreck, because I was finding my value in my lack of accomplishment.
Moments like that hurt no matter what, but the question is, do they ruin you? Can you keep going because your value is found in Jesus? As I struggled for a few months with the pain and humiliation of being kicked out of school, Jesus was teaching my heart. He loved me not because of how I performed, but because He had made me and had purpose for me. He was teaching me to find my value in Him. He wants you to learn the same lesson. It isn't about the awards you win, or the things you wear; it is about following after him.
C.S. Lewis – a Christian writer and thinker – once said: "Aim at Heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither." Lewis' point was simple: seek after God and the other stuff will take care of itself.
Connecting today's story, God's Story and my story with my friend's story...
Sometimes in our lives we need someone to be our cheerleader. We need people who remind us to seek after the Kingdom of Heaven. When I was struggling, I had friends and mentors who came alongside me. They encouraged me and reminded me that I was loved even in my failure.
Maybe you have had people who have been that for you. They have encouraged you when you were down. How much did that mean to you?
There is a good chance that you will have a friend who will struggle with their value at some point. Encourage them, tell them that you appreciate them whether they have the best or not. When they are struggling, ask them if you can pray for them, then do it.
Most of all, it is a great chance to share with them the story of a God that loves them even when they don't feel valuable.
- May 2012 [14]
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- December 2011 [20]
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- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
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- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
