Branded By: Stacey Spencer
We all have our own
personal print, the things that make us who we are.
Each strand of life absorbs
itself within our DNA. Our growth of likes and dislikes from life’s branches
such as culture and society, education and work, relationships, music, beliefs
and values; attach to our DNA and form as particles that make up the anatomy of
our identity. These and others help define and shape us.
From the day we were born
to our last dying breath, we can come across as pawns on a chessboard being in
the process of human branding.
You may be familiar
with the term ‘Branding’; it is the technique of marking something in order to
verify its identity, ownership. As humans we can be seen as walking
brands. The world we grow up in fights for our identity daily. These battles can
be seen visually, psychologically, physically and spiritually. We are bombarded
by images and words everyday; situations showing us who we are or are not, and where
we may have come from.
The strife between the
internal and external natures of humanity is one of the biggest and most fierce
battles we face. The fight of our identity is core to winning or losing this
war.
As life’s happenings
brand us we begin to participate in a very transparent battle. Often times we
have thoughts or situations that cause us to not fit into society, which the
world can deem as ‘bad’ as we are not conforming to its systems.
Striving for
individualism can be tiring but needed in a person’s life so that they know who
they are. We may look the same, sound the same and even dress the same at times
but we need that part of our personality and nature that makes us different.
When I use the term
‘human branding’ the main thought trail is external materialism. This could be our
speech, the brand names we wear, money and other things. However, the real root
of my thought is INTERNAL branding; the things we have absorbed in our hearts
and minds through our experiences and circumstances.
"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles
the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."
Whether you read the
Bible or not the principle of the scripture can be seen. What comes out of you
contaminates you. This places emphasis on your internal state; what is going on
inside your heart and mind once affected by what life throws at you. The things
we hold onto and begin to wear on our inside.
Looking in the mirror
is an internal, reflective state that we need to do. We cannot always see
everything about us but it is important for us to examine ourselves. I am not
saying that you cannot wear brand clothing or you have to stop spending time on
yourself to look good. We all need to take care of ourselves but not to the
extent where life only revolves around ourselves. What I AM saying is that we
need to be aware of our internal brands. Our external life strands pave way to
the formation of our internal intake. The externals affect the internals.
When you think about yourself or
see yourself who do you see?
What do you see?
Do you like what you see?
Are you who you say you are or is
it someone else’s mark you see?
We can all have those
times in our lives where we become unhappy with a part of ourselves and want to
change but the bigger issue at stake here is when we begin to wear other
people’s clothing. Pride in its deceptive low form of low self esteem and lack
of confidence, confusion, doubt, mental insecurities of what other people think
of us and needing their acceptance or approval, the names people call us,
conforming because of fear and rejection, amongst other factors all contribute
to the fallen state of humanity and branding. A sense of ‘who am I?’ or even
worse ‘I don’t like who I am’. We forget our personal ownership and become
slaves to another. When someone else’s voice becomes louder than our own then
we have a problem.
Our identities have
become the targets of assault on the battlefield. We have become wounded. Some
of us are aware of our identity wounds. Others dress them and play pretend,
whilst some are oblivious to the fact that they are even wounded. People can
call us names, we can conform and compromise, materialism can label us and life
can transform us but sooner or later you have to take the make-up off and
become who you really are. What is on the inside will always come out
eventually; our thinking and what has tainted us will show its ugly face.
It can seem hard to
find yourself in a world that constantly tells you who you are meant to be. Images
of how you should look, the latest trends and beauty regimes, labels being
attached to us because of judgment, names piercing your being by the fiery
tongues of others, abuse or other circumstances constantly can create
comparisons and thoughts of re-questioning. This can cause us to compromise and
fall short of who we truly are; almost like an identity theft has taken place
We need to get to a
point in our lives where we begin to strip ourselves of these labels and prints
that we have become.
Growing up is and will
continue to be a journey, some things are us and some things are not us. There
comes a time where we must decide who we are and want to be. We are more than
what we think. Branding marks the skin as it burns and leaves scars. We must
remember that when we begin the strip and change ourselves of human branding, that
it is a process. Some brands are easier to remove than others. Some brands are
easier to forgive than others. At times it will hurt and be very painful but in
order to become who you are, you must get rid of who you were not. With all the
right support, help, advice and love, you WILL learn to be your own identity again.
We can get lost at times but be encouraged to find yourself and be who you are as
there is no one like you. Regardless of what you think, YOU ARE NEEDED.
Images and sources:
1. Girl surrounded by her own reflections: http://www.awn.com/vfxworld/reflections-divergent-vfx
2. Girls head being covered with hands in
her reflection: http://pozitivnap.hu/sikertortenetek/keress-boldogsagot-szabadulj-meg-13-szokastol
Identify. Embrace and Uphold Your True Beauty
Beautiful Faces Ministries
Have you subscribed to BFM Monthly Newsletter? If not click below:
Join us on Facebook at:
Or if you prefer, you can join us on Twitter at:
Comments
Post a Comment
Please feel free to leave a comment....