As anyone who knows me can attest, I am a certified purse junkie, a true connoisseur. My friends all know when we go shopping I can be found in the purse department of any store. My husband doesn't understand this obsession at all. As I try to explain to him, I am on a never ending search for the perfect purse. Men just don't get it; they have no idea of what “Coach,” “Fossil” or “Dooney and Burke” mean. In the same way, women don't get what is so special about Kobalt or Stanley tools. The one common denominator, however, is that all of us like a brand name; it makes us feel special. It's even more special when you find a brand name at a fraction of the regular price - no matter if it is fake or seconds. As long as that little tag is there for everyone to see, we have the real deal.
Too many times, however, we also take this approach to our relationship to Christ. We may attend church every Sunday; put our five dollars in the offering plate, and make a show of being a Christian, but are we the real deal. Do we strive to live up to the name “Child of God?” Do we just make a show of our Christianity so everyone else will see it except the One who matters? Do we honestly think we can give God a token of ourselves and still expect to hear Him call us His child?
Very soon the day will come when we will all stand before God. Will we hear Him say, “Enter my child” or will He say, “You were mine in name only, but you withheld your heart, love, and life  … Depart from me; I never knew you.” … Be the real thing, not just a brand name.