One of the essentials of eating healthy, or to put it another way, to not eat yourself into oblivion is to read the labels. I do a fairly good job of doing that…sometimes. I make Jo nervous from time to time when I read a label because she will say, “Now, you know you shouldn’t read that. It will just make you depressed.” 
She’s right. I do. I get.
But it is absolutely essential to keep an eye out for the contents of what I am about to make (oops, I mean have her make) and subsequently put in my mouth. It is doubly dangerous to be eating out and trying to look up what is in the concoction I am wanting to eat. So…in all fairness to my arteries and waistline…
I DON’T LOOK.
Seriously, I do look and often find myself changing my mind or food selection.
We often live by labels. Baptist. Methodist. Charismatic. “I’m just a Christ-follower.” I learned years ago to despise labels. At one point labels were important to me…they depicted who was and who was not a “Christian.” Back then it was easy. If you were anything but mine, you were not a Christian.
How sad was that?
Thankfully, God brought me out of that. But there are other labels that I think people struggle with even more. Here it is:
You can allow the names you call yourself to define you. You can let the labels that others give you define you.
I read those two sentences in Undaunted by Christine Caine. I was stopped dead in my tracks. I thought, “How many times have I called myself names (I had a bad habit of walking around frustrated saying-while hitting my forehead, ‘Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. What a goofball. What an idiot. How could you have been so stupid?’). “ Equally bad are the labels we allow others to use on us and allow them to define who we are. Parents. Siblings. Neighbors. “Friends.” Pastors. You get the idea. We are defined by our bank account, or family of origin, our nationality, our education, our looks, our race, etc.
I have a terrific idea! How about we stop all of that? I stop calling myself names. I stop labeling someone else by the very words I don’t want to be defined by. Sticks and stones may break our bones…but names will always hurt us. Unless they are words that build up and encourage. We have been made in the plan and image of God. To criticize or label is to laugh at God’s creation.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on this. Do you have trouble with names you call yourself or labels you put on others?
I think it’s something I have battled since middle school.
As it is for many.
I am ruthless toward myself and pretty nasty toward others. I am a mess and I have struggled to improve but always seem to end up back where I started. It is depressing and frustrating.
Not sure what to say to this.
Anything I say will sound trite and “too spiritual” for real life. I know only to say that it is an issue of allowing the Spirit to control.
I certainly have trouble with names I call myself. Even worse are the names and labels I call others. The most important thing, however, is to call myself what God calls me and then believe it.
Well said Thomas. Knowing what God thinks of us is crucial.
Certainly been a struggle on and off over the years. I am much more able to show others grace and mercy in this area than myself. I really try to remind myself that I am a Child of God and that is an Awesome thing!
Thanks for the great post my friend!
I think you state a common “ailment” Jim. Much more apt to extend grace to others than to ourselves. Good to hear from you my friend. Hope Sandy hasn’t played too much havoc with you.
She just gave us a bunch of rain – little of anything else. Thanks Bill for asking.
Glad to hear that was all.
Proverbs 18:21 says The tongue can bring death or life…
There is a lot of truth in your post Bill. We often say things or use names without even thinking.
Makes a big difference when you filter your words with the Word. Is this breathing life into a person or dragging them down? Do I see myself as God’s masterpiece? Or do I beat myself up?
thanks Bill!
Filtering our words with the Word. Great way to put it Craig!
Hi Bill,
I think we have to use words in the context of our day. For example, the problem in the church today is sin. If we keep encourageing one another that God forgives no matter what, at no cost to ourselves, and that we have no responsibility toward God to surrender to the Holy Spirit, we will perpetuate sin in ourselves and others.
I think one of the problems today in the church is that leaders tend to exempt themselves from action and responsibibity. The congregation I attend received a message of surrender to God in a church service. I asked the pastor if he was surrendered to God in his finances and other areas of his life. Was he giving it all?
A couple of Sunday services later, he stated to the congregation that what he had was of no consequence. ‘Think of me as having nothing’. ‘What I have doesn’t matter’. Basically the message was, ‘we’re talking about you, not me’.
I have some real trouble with this. This pastor lives in a house, he has a bank account, his kid is going to an expensive Bible college.
I’m thinking in my mind. He’s saying ‘do as I say and not as I do’.
What should we say about this man? It does require some labelling, I think. ‘Caution’ ‘Beware of the leven of the Pharisees’
Fruit provides evidence for labelling. A couple of more instances of this kind of ‘fruit’ from this pastor and I’m on my way out the church door.
I reckon I am trying to be kind when I say this, but I fail to see what this has to do with my post Linda. Please enlighten me. I guess i also wonder why you would question a pastor (or anyone for that matter) unless they had given permission or sought your advice/thoughts.
Hi Bill,
I don’t think that it’s wrong to question a pastor. If he’s asking others to surrender all to Christ we need to know that he is doing what he is asking of others.
In this case it seems that he doesn’t feel that what he preaches applies to himself. this is a problem.
I am not saying it is wrong to question a pastor, but you are new and there needs to be some established communication to warrant this type of approach (at least in my mind). I don’t mind friends questioning me when I know they have my best in mind.
I have been communicating with this Pastor by e-mail.
I guess I am wondering why we need an established relationship before we as congregation members can ask these type of questions.
Pastors and all spiritual leaders should be open books and open to all kinds of questions from their congregation.
I don’t disagree with you about needing to be open books. I am an open book and allow the folks to ask me questions. But I also know who really cares and who is challenging and does not have my interest at heart.
I’ve been frustrated by this very thing for years. How can someone be a Christ follower and call themselves anything but that?
This was very well said, Bill. If God designed us then we are exactly the way we were meant to be. The only thing left is to acknowledge Him, His Son, and to seek His will. The judgement and labels should be left up to the One who can judge the heart.
My one big regret Floyd is that it took me so many years to learn it. And you are spot on with your last paragraph.
I think we’re wired to label things. It’s natural for us to organize things into boxes. That’s not necessarily a bad thing – I think it’s dependent on the label. “Loser” might be a bad one. “Child of God” is a great one!
I agree Loren but I do seriously question when we use labels to hurt. Child of God is an okay one.
I’m with ya! I stopped going by a denomination years ago and just call myself a Christian (and if asked, emphasis I believe Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross is the only way into heaven).
I’ve also tried to stop labeling others and just look at their fruit. The Bible says by their fruit you will know. Sadly this is hard to do because so many Christians don’t have much fruit to look at. But that’s a whole other topic, way too detailed for a simple comment.
I like to be known as a Christ-follower or a Christian also TC. No flim flam or “airs.” I agree with you about the fruit.
I agree with Loren. It’s not so much the label. We primates do look for patterns and order in things. Sometimes labels are helpful in that. A lot of labels are benign, imformational and no harm done.
The intent of the user is the key. If he/she is trying to cast someone in negative terms by giving them a negative label it is wrong, usually not informative, and creates ill will instead of order and a pattern.
I try to look at each person as an individual and let their actions describe them in a positive or negative light.
I know I don’t like to be labeled or pigeon holed into a group labeling system as I value my individuality and rarely agree 100% with anybody or any group.
I totally agree that some labels are necessary. it is the negative ones that “fry” me. In many cases, as you said, they are wrong.
Great post brother…a challege we need to take up every day. If we actively view our self as a child of God it will cut down on the bad words to ourself and other. But if we view ourselves as a loser, loser words will flow out our mouth.
My Dad label for my self, two brothers, mother and anyone actually was “pitiful”, my Heavenly Father label for me is, “beloved daughter”. I get to choose which one I want to live with. My armor has the label, “beloved daughter” on it and if I put it on daily I will walk like a beloved daughter, secure in His unconditional love.
My label for conviction is “sweet” conviction for without it I am doomed to stay in my pitiful state. Like Loren said we are natually wired to label…God filled a whole book with labels…sheep-goats, saved-lost, etc. Since I a new package with the label “child of God” that is what should come out of the package.
Goodness this anology could go on an on…your post made the throughs flow. Blessings
Thanks Betty. Man, you really could take this post and run with it.
Glad I got your thoughts going.
I really liked this post CG. Labellign is a real short cut to actually getting to know someone. We do it with races, genders, and work titles. We do it in churches and theology. Very provoking.
Thanks David. You have taken a different look at it.
Thanks for helping me think of exactly how I might be labeling, and hurting, myself or someone else. I used to put myself down a lot . .A LOT. God is helping me with that, so that I can still not take myself too seriously, but not degrade myself either. One wonderful story of label erasing is with our special needs daughter. She received the diagnosis of PDDNOS . ..like a high functioning autism. It was needed so she could get help in school. Then we came to homeschool her and now she doesn’t think about having PDDNOS. She thinks about the things she loves to do and is good at instead.
God bless you! Sorry for the long comment today!
Glad you have learned not to put yourself down Deb. I am not familiar with PDDNOS but have to look it up. I applaud you and your husband for supporting her and her for overcoming. No problem with the long comment.
WOW Deb. Just looked it up. What a confusing time it must have been for you all during the diagnosis time.
God bless you! The label helped, initially, so that we knew . .had some idea where to start and how to help her. And then it was a blessing when the label no longer was that important, but who she was being what mattered most!
Well, I love this blog because it hits right at home. Just 2 nights ago I was looking at myself in the mirror and as usual, naming all the things I dislike about my looks…..also, I am extremely hard on myself, calling myself stupid a lot when I make a mistake or just feel like I’m not measuring up to other’s worldly standards….anyway, as I was looking in the mirror, I re-read a scripture that is taped to the mirror & I thought, “wow, I am really insulting God when I complain about how ugly I think I am or when I call myself a name.” It’s like putting God’s handiwork down, saying He didn’t do a good enough job. Very eye opening.
*Deb, I know of what you speak…working in the schools I often see kids who are “labeled” get treated indifferently & that’s something I absolutely cannot stand! So glad she is focusing on the positive!
Good thing I was not that mirror Jan because I would have screamed and yelled at you. Well…not really but I would not have allowed you to do that to yourself.
Hope Deb saw your note.