Marriage can be a tumultuous journey full of difficulties. In my own marriage, I have learned more lessons than I care to count. Each lesson could be the topic of a book. Spicing Up the Marital Bed, Savor the Flavor with Robust Dialogue. Woman, Hold Thy Tongue. Man, Clean Up Behind Yourself. I can go on for days with these titles.

Even in my attempt to be humorous, I want to be careful not to make light of what I’ve learned. For the most part, the lessons were invaluable. Even still, I wanted the information to be specific to our needs as a couple and not just textbook theories and testimonies. I prayed for a better marriage, yet I did not ask for specific, creative strategies that were exclusive to us. I believe we are all connected yet God called us to live individual lives. In addition, we could be going through the exact same problem as Billy and Mary down the street, yet our need for significance causes us to want a more personal solution.

When we ask God for creative strategies, we cannot be fussy in regards to how he gives us the information. Here is our story. During our elders’ ordination ceremony, our pastor was trying to say Fred and Sherrice and instead, he said Frerrice. This new name appeared to be a mistake, yet Pastor made a profound statement that stuck with me. He said, “There are no mistakes in God so blending there names is just a confirmation that the two has become one.” So amazed by that comment, I started forming names for the couples who were with us. Kelly and Michelle – KelChelle. I could not think of a name for JR and JaQualia, even though I entertained a million combinations. Personally, I like JJ. After the ceremony, Kelly Fortune was teasing us about our new celebrity names. He mentioned that Brad and Angelina were Brangelina. The marketing wheels began turning in my head and God used them to drill in the concept of marital branding.

The Lord began to speak to me over the next few months. Two questions stood out in my mind.

1. When someone hears the names Fred and Sherrice, do they see Frerrice?

2. Moreover, what do people think of Frerrice? Not from the perspective of seeking validation, yet from the perspective of displaying a holy light in our own unique way.

Instead of guessing, I started asking. People used words like financially stable, focused on goals, the couple who argues a lot, the couple with nothing in common, and two people who do not seem to be a good match for one another. Whoooooooooo! This was a revelation for me. I did not want to leave a legacy like that. I wanted people to say the couple who worships together, despite their circumstances, the couple who works though challenging problems and cheers us on when we are working though ours. I shared the concept with my husband and he agreed that we needed to change our image and work on our brand identity, according to the word of God. By doing so, we could win more souls to Christ and be a help versus a hindrance to the kingdom.

Now, when we ask people about our brand, their answers describe a couple who is living for God. Working on our brand gave us a common goal that has yielded so much fruit in a short time frame. Just imagine what we will be doing fifty years from now. I’m now passing on each lesson I learn to my blog readers. I challenge you to work on your brand identity as an individual and as a couple. I would love to hear what your unique stories and your custom-made results.