What’s Your Slogan?

I’ve always had a problem with the little slogans that companies use to try and make us think they are something better than they really are. Like these…

• General Dynamics … “Strength on your side.”
• Abbot Labs … “Life to the fullest.”
• Chipotle … “Food with integrity.”
• Entergy Corp … “The power of people”

Really? Not buying it.

And now during the Covid-19 crises it seems like every company’s advertisement tells me “We’re there for you”, or “We’re all in this together.” Yeah, right. Call me a skeptic, but I really don’t believe that Toyota is “there for me” unless maybe I want to give them $40,000 for a new car.

There is usually a big difference between what companies say they are and what they really are.

However, I recently had an experience with a local company for work on our A/C units. This company works hard to present the image that its priority is doing the right thing by its customers. It turned out that my A/C problem was primarily due to an improper job done by this same company over two years before. But, the technician was quick to honestly point out that the problem was caused by their previous work. Then, the project manager agreed and moved quickly to address and correct the problem in a more than fair way.

Wow! I was impressed that this company’s stated priority was reflected by each of the employees that I met. The ethics and priority of this company was not just nice sounding words, it was obviously ingrained in its employees and reflected in how they treated me.

That experience reminded me of the guy who, almost in tears lamented: “ I am deeply concerned that my children are not seeing what my real priorities are.”

Seriously? That’s ridiculous. Your children are definitely seeing exactly what your priorities are. They see every day how you choose to invest your time; how and how much you work; where you spend your mental energy; what you do with your money; and the way you treat those you love, your friends, and people you barely know, if at all.

The issue is not whether your family knows your priorities…they most certainly do. The issue is whether your priorities are what they should be. You can’t fake it with words or by buying them ice cream, or even trips to Disney World.

In his Sermon on the Mount, after specifically calling out many of the things we spend so much time and effort seeking on this earth (Matthew 6:19-32), Jesus put what our priorities should be in pretty simple terms:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Simple terms that require a complex self examination. Do we dare to examine how we invest our time, our money, and our attention against this standard?

The Lee Company didn’t win me over with with some fancy slogan or a platitude written on the side of their service truck. They won me by multiple actions that proved that their priority was to do the right thing by me, their customer.

If they asked me to pick a slogan for them, I might say: Lee Company …”We’ll make it right.”

If your family was asked to pick a slogan for your life, might they choose one of these?

(Your name here)….

• … Making family count.
• … Doing things her way.
• … Living the good life!
• … Making the community better.
• … Seeking God first above all else.

When I’m gone, my family will not remember things that I said were important, or what I wrote in a blog. But they will remember if my life showed that my priority was seeking the Kingdom of God. Or, if my life was spent chasing things that God would have adequately provided anyway.

Your family knows what your priorities are.