Sticky Labels

I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.  John 10:14

I once had a pink sweater.  It was the perfect shade of pink and it was soft, comfy and had very cool buttons.  It was one of my favorite sweaters of all time!  I use the words “once had” sadly!  The demise of the famous pink sweater came at the hands of one of those dreadful “Hello My Name Is” stickers.  I have never been a fan of them and I’m famous for forgetting to take them off before walking into the grocery store or gas station. I went to a conference a while back and got one of the dreaded labels and proceeded to run several errands after the conference while still wearing it.  It was a long day; a rushed day; a careless laundry day and I chucked the pink sweater into the washing machine with the blue sticker still on it.  The rest is laundry disaster history…blue ink streaks down the front, sticky wads of goo in a rectangular shape and purple sharpie drizzles where the name seeped through the whole sweater.  It was beyond help and I blamed it all on that stupid label!  I realized that day, some labels really stick.

I came across this verse in one of the Gospels recently and it made me think about labels.  We are labeled as His because we are created in His likeness and image.  Sometimes being labeled can be a good thing and sometimes not so much!  People have been trying to stick or unstick labels for generations.   Sometimes those labels can be destructive like the one on my sweater and sometimes they can bring pride and peace like the label that marks us as His.  Of all the labels we have been given, the one most frequently used in Scripture is “beloved”.  I like that label don’t you?  

What if you were to label yourself; what would your tag say?  Would it say faithful, patient, loving, trusting, honest?   I guess the bigger question is, does the way you live your life match your label?  I’ll be honest; sometimes my actions don’t match the label I might think I’m wearing.  I may think I’m patient but am I snippy with others?  I may think I’m loving but do I share that love freely with ALL people who cross my path?  We are His and He knows us, our best label says we are HIS BELOVED…we should make sure we live like it.  People read those “Hello My Name Is” labels and they believe what they read.  Maybe I should stick one to my shirt today that says “Beloved Child of God”…that’s something that I’d like to stick!  Living up to that label would never ruin anything…even my favorite sweater!

A Seed To Plant:  What is the label you would most like to be known by?  What is the label you’d most like to peel off and throw away?  Lift both ideas up and ask the Good Shepherd who knows YOU to help with your label.

Blessings on your day!