Labels

Labels. I've been thinking about this word a lot lately. Sometimes in life we are likely to put labels on people, whether it's only in our minds and thoughts or spoken out loud. These labels can be good, but can also be very negative. We might see someone as a great parent, a hard worker, trustworthy, kind, funny or likeable. Just as easily we may label someone as unfriendly, lazy, a bad parent, rude, arrogant, or annoying. It's way too easy to write these labels and just stick them on like they belong there.
 I've been thinking about the labels people have spoken to me in my life. Some of these are very uplifting and encouraging, and others are discouraging. At times I let the negative labels "stick" and become truth to me. Yes, I've been told all my life that I'm too quiet or shy or that I need to talk more. I've been called a helicopter parent and too overprotective. I've also been called sweet-spirited, a great Mom, and a caring person. It's up to me which labels I let stick. I realize I have put labels on people at times, before really giving the proper time and chance to truly know them. First impressions are important, but they can also be misleading.
Just as much as we label others, we do the same thing to ourselves. I label myself "too introverted" as if that's a bad thing. I tell myself at times, I should've talked to someone more, or maybe I talked too much. I tend to worry about things that are beyond my control or fear the unknown, so I stick on the "anxiety" label. I feel down for a few days so here's that "depressed" label. I have a couple of health issues, so here's the "sick" and "unhealthy" labels. I wonder and worry about something someone said or how they didn't seem like themselves that day, so maybe it's me..."unliked" label. Let's just throw in the Mama guilt, the "I look terrible", the "I need to lose weight", and of course the "stressed" label.
Don't get me wrong, some of these labels are truth in certain people's daily lives. Some of them are truth in mine.
But, I'm striving to make these negative labels much smaller and less significant in my everyday life. My random worries and anxiety are not who I am. My small health issues are not my identity. I am quiet and introverted and that's exactly how God made my unique personality. My focus needs to be more on Christ and less on me. I won't get it perfect and it will be a daily choice, to remove or diminish the labels that are bringing me down and taking my eyes off of God and what's important. After all, He is bigger than all of these things, and here are the labels that HE has placed on me.......

His daughter. Child of the King. Mother. Sister. Beloved wife. Blessed. Forgiven. Loved. Restored. Strong. Delivered from fear. Protected. Filled with Joy. Never Alone. Filled with His peace. Complete. Delighted in. Cared For. Called. Not overwhelmed. Not consumed. Never forsaken. Victorious. Conqueror. Rescued. Honored. Adopted. Encouraged. Comforted. Precious. Chosen. Friend of God. Promised eternity. Set free. Redeemed.

So, if we know Jesus Christ and have given our lives to Him, our identity is in Him. Nothing else in life is bigger than this. I need this reminder. The sum of who I am is really not about me, my worldly struggles or anybody else. Who I am is His. If I strive to be more like Him daily, making time in His word and in prayer - because this is how I am changed and He speaks to my heart - these other labels can fall away. They all fade in the light of His spirit in my life.