Naming Rights
By Grant Gaines
In 2009, after four years of construction and $1.15 billion, Dallas Cowboys Stadium opened up in Arlington, Texas. The stadium had everything-it boasted a 60 yard video screen, 1,600 restrooms, and held up to 105,121 rowdy fans. The one thing the stadium was lacking, however, was a name.
While other stadiums in professional sports had names such as American Airlines Arena, Gillette Stadium, Cisco Field, Kraft Field, and so, this stadium had no special name but was simply known as “Dallas Cowboys Stadium.”
The reason this “8th Wonder of the World” was without a name was because no company was willing to pay the hefty price that Cowboys Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones demanded. That is of course until 2013 when AT&T came along and submitted an offer that Jones could not refuse. And if someone offered you $17-19 million per year to change your name, could you refuse?
Because AT&T was willing to pay the price, they owned the final rights to what the stadium would be called-Dallas Cowboys Field at AT&T Stadium.
I believe this is a great illustration to learn from. You see, throughout every one of our lives we have all received labels from others. Some of these labels are great such as, “friend,” “buddy,” “honey,” “sweetie,” “princess,” and so on. Unfortunately, not all the labels we have received from others are nearly as endearing. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.
Whether it was the way we looked, a mistake we made, or just a mean joke, we all have received a label from others that we don’t care to reflect on. And maybe that label wasn’t even given to us verbally-maybe the label came through a look, through a tone, or through isolation. However these labels were given, we have all experienced the feeling of walking around with a name tag that read “Loser,” “Reject,” or “Worthless”.
If you’ve ever felt like this, I have some good news for you because just as AT&T paid a pretty penny to own the naming rights for Dallas Cowboys Stadium, your Heavenly Father has done the same for you through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ. In fact, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) says, “…you are not your own, you were bought with a price…” and 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NLT) elaborates on this price by saying that the price, “…was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” People may call you a loser, a reject, or worthless, but according to Hebrews 2:11 (NIV), “…Jesus is not ashamed to call [you] brothers and sisters.”
And just as was the case with AT&T and Dallas Cowboys Stadium, at the end of the day the one who paid the price is the one who has the final say as to what the name truly is. Jesus paid the price for you and He is the only One with the authority to give you a name.
The Old Testament patriarch Jacob had firsthand experience of this. The majority of his life was defined by deception and lies. In fact, the name “Jacob” itself means “Heel Grabber” or “Deceiver”. Day in and day out, Jacob walked around with the humiliation of this label.
And the humiliation isn’t the only thing Jacob struggled with in his life because as you read his story deeper you begin to realize that humans have a tendency to live according to the label they receive. For example, if you walk throughout your life with people calling you an “all-star,” a “stud,” and “the greatest,” you will subconsciously have more confidence than if that same group of people constantly critiqued your character.
And that’s exactly what happened to Jacob-he sank down to the level of his label and spent the majority of his life deceiving others.
But this all changed in Genesis 35 when God came to “the Heel Grabber” and said, “‘Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.’ So God renamed him Israel” (Genesis 35:10, NLT). No longer was this man’s name “Deceiver,” but now it was Israel- “My God Will Prevail”.
Jacob had been given a new name which gave him a new direction and aspiration for life. The man who once deceived his brother, his uncle, and his father went on to become one of the Bible’s greatest characters. Jacob was no longer remembered for his foolishness but was now commonly referred to as a founder of our faith as Scripture repeatedly refers to our Heavenly Father as, “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
The Lord longs to do the same for you, you know? He longs to take away that label of guilt, fear, and shame and replace it with a label of hope, life, and joy. And if the Person who purchased and owns your naming rights chooses to call you a dearly loved child (1 John 3:1), then who are you to live under the influence of any other label?
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
