Labels

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about labels. We like to label people with one word or phrase to sum them up. For example, we use words like divorcee, cancer survivor, cheater, addict, etc. We forget about the whole person and we use that one word to summarize them or even ourselves. We are not our mistakes or our victories. We are human beings, made in the image of God and are very complex. We all have made mistakes and had victories but neither define us completely. They are part of what makes us, us. We can’t judge someone based on one bad decision or one achievement. Frankly, we shouldn’t be judging them at all, good or bad. That’s Gods job. I love the saying called The Creed of the Beloved, from the book You Are Beloved by Bobby Shuller:

I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I’m the beloved of God. It’s who I am. No one can take it from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust the Lord Jesus and share His love with the world.

Our identity shouldn’t be wrapped up in a label, good or bad. We are worth so much more than our most recent screw up or our latest accomplishment. We are worth so much more than our job title. We are worth so much more than what other people think of us because we didn’t live up to their impossible standard. During this Easter season the only label I want to wear is, forgiven daughter of the king. That’s the one label I welcome. My identity and worth are completely tied up in that label. The only perfect one, Jesus, gave it all so that my labels and the labels other people put on me don’t define me. I’m worth so much more than my shame or fleeting moment of pride. My identity is based solely on the perfect one. His label is all I need.