Labels
When I was getting ready to move to Portugal, my roommate and I labeled our apartment. Anything that we could stick a label on had a label. It was really helpful in learning vocabulary and it’s a strategy that many people use.
At our church building there is a closet that has labels on the shelves. The building was a restaurant before we moved in so the labels were left over from them. One of them says, “Cing Wrap”. Every time I see it I laugh. My sense of humor is easy that way.
Another humorous mis-label was at a thrift store that I frequent. I walked by some bins one day that had these labels taped to the front. One of them said, “Panty Holes”. Now that one really makes me laugh.
Labels can help us know what we’re looking at … and know what goes in which spot. They are mostly used to “identify”.
I watched a movie awhile back where a couple was preparing for their honeymoon. They had labeled the apartment with vocabulary words so that they wouldn’t be completely lost while on their trip. Only they never take the trip. The beautiful bride dies a short time before the wedding.
The movie shows the lives of those left behind. They struggle with moving on and choosing a new direction for their lives now that this loved one is no longer present.
The labels are seen throughout the movie … until the end … when the woman’s fiance finally makes a decision to move on. The labels begin to peel off. It’s almost like a symbol of the “newness” that lies before him. He’s moving ahead to a place that has not yet been “labeled”.
Labels are helpful even when we apply them to people. They define our position at a job, and in a family. They can help someone identify the right person to talk to if they have a specific need. I’m not going to talk to a “chef” about my car. So a label can be pretty handy in that instance.
But labels can also be hurtful. Labels can put a limit on someone if we’re not careful. A label can also cause you to “judge” someone based on a few things while missing the person as a whole.
What role do labels play in your life? Have you ever been hurt by a label? Have you missed an opportunity because you labeled someone? Any positive experiences with labels?
I think that goes along with first impressions. In general, my first impressions are usually right. However, there have been times when I have been so far off the mark. I can think of a couple of really good friends I have now that my first impression I based on those labels. Thankfully, those people stuck around long enough for me to figure out how wrong I was.
My friend John LOVES to tell other people how I “hated” him when I first met him. He likes to exaggerate the point when he tells that story. I thought he was arrogant and that he thought highly of his own opinion. I found out later that he does, but the difference is he is right on most things and that gives him credibility! We joke about that a lot! Incidently, now I call him my sensei. John is the first person I consult on major decisions and dilemas in my life.
I have to remind myself not to be so quick to label and judge, and that my first impression isn’t always right.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE WHERE MOST LABELS THAT WE HAVE FOR PEOPLE COME FROM. WE CAN SEE THEM ACROSS THE ROOM AND DECIDE IF WE WANT TO KNOW THEM OR NOT.
THANKS FOR REMINDING ME THAT THOSE FIRST IMPRESSIONS CAN ROB ME OF SOME GREAT PEOPLE. I NEED TO STAY OPEN AND ALLOW MYSELF TO GET TO KNOW PEOPLE MORE OFTEN. IT’S SO MUCH EASIER TO JUST STAY ON MY SIDE OF THE ROOM AND ISOLATE.
I’M GLAD THAT PEOPLE HAVE STUCK AROUND LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO GET PAST ANY LABELS THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD. THANK GOD FOR THAT. YOU HAVE SOME GREAT RELATIONSHIPS NOW THAT MIGHT NEVER HAVE COME TO BE IF YOU HADN’T GIVEN PEOPLE A CHANCE. INTERESTING TO THINK ABOUT WHY THEY STUCK AROUND SO LONG IF YOU DIDN’T REALLY LIKE THEM MUCH … TO ME, THAT SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT YOU. THEY WANTED TO BE AROUND YOU ANYWAY. YOU ARE PRETTY AMAZING.
I have been thinking about this one. The word “labels” automatically brings negative things to mind. Having been married to a person of another race, the discrimination “labels” associated with that became a regular part of my life. I saw the way I was treated when I was with him, and the way I was treated when I wasn’t and sadly there was a big difference.
So I have tried to think of good things regarding a label I might have. And what came to mind, finally, has to do with my job. A lot of times, someone will come in and they are in a mess and need some major help. They will tell me “my friend told me to come here and talk to you because you might help me.” Perhaps I have been labeled as someone that will try to help those who are in a financial pinch. I hope that I have that sort of reputation. Granted I cannot help everyone, but I hope that I use my position in a way that gives hope to as many people as I can.
I have seen firsthand how one instance in our life can define us in so many people’s mind. “Oh you are that girl that…” and we remain labeled that way forever with some people. But I am learning that Jesus does not define us by our sins. He sees us differently. He sees us as His. “Oh you are that girl that loves me and has obeyed me. You are Mine!” When the people around us try to keep us in our sin and remind us of the wrongs we have done, our Savior reminds us that He has taken care of that sin. He has redeemed us from that bondage. We don’t have to put those chains back on again. The label that would forever bind us to that sin has been re-written. SINNER now reads PROPERTY OF JESUS.
I HAVE BEEN BLESSED TO SEE, FIRST HAND HOW YOU USE YOUR POSITION TO HELP FOLKS. I THINK IN THE FIRST MONTH I WAS THERE I SAW TWO OR THREE PEOPLE COME IN CRYING, FEELING HOPELESS – WHO LEFT YOUR OFFICE, STILL CRYING … YET FILLED WITH HOPE. YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE THROUGH SOME TOUGH SPOTS. GOD HAS GIVEN YOU A GIFT IN THAT AREA.
I LOVED WHAT YOU WROTE ABOUT US BEING THE PROPERTY OF JESUS. OFTEN GOD WOULD GIVE PEOPLE NEW NAMES. I ALWAYS FELT LIKE HE WAS GIVING THEM A NEW “LABEL”. ALLOWING THEM TO ESCAPE THEIR PAST SOMEWHAT AND START OVER.
I HATE THAT YOU EVER HAVE HAD OR WILL HAVE A TIME WHEN SOMEONE CALLS YOU “THAT GIRL”. BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU KNOW BETTER. YOU KNOW WHO YOU BELONG TO AND WHAT THAT MEANS.
IT REMINDS ME OF ISAIAH 62:12
They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the LORD;
and you will be called Sought After,
the City No Longer Deserted.
I LIKE THE THOUGHT OF BEING “SOUGHT AFTER”.
In John 12:6, the Apostle John recalls and records the incident when Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anointed Jesus for His burial with a very expensive ointment. Her sacrificial act of love for her Lord caused her to meet with the criticism of Judas who reasoned out loud that it would have been much better to sell the ointment and give the proceeds to the poor. John explains that Judas’ motive in so speaking was not concern for the poor, but concern for himself. Then John expressly states that Judas was a thief, and that, as treasurer of the twelve, he regularly helped himself to whatever money was in the bag. Now there’s a label…thief. And John uses it by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Of course Judas had already gone to his own place when John writes this down…so it can’t affect Judas. Though it was a label, it was true. It’s interesting to consider why Jesus permitted Judas, a man with a weakness for money, to be the group’s treasurer. What did He know that we do not know? Was He determined to give Judas every opportunity to stop his thieving? Was He trying to help him live up to the trust Jesus placed in him. But…Judas ended up living and dying by the label. Tragic.
So…all you who visit and comment here…what makes the difference between a person who tells lies and a LIAR? What factors need to be considered when you look at your own hypocritical actions and wonder if you are a dyed-in-the-wool HYPOCRITE? Where is that line we cross that leaves us defined by our bad deeds or thoughts or words? How do we prevent the bad label from fitting?
At five feet, five inches in stature, one of the labels I grew up with was “short.” This fact led to all kinds of things. People who didn’t know me, tended to choose me last for the ball teams. But that only gave me the opportunity to prove I could play pretty well for a “short” guy. I remember several people telling me, over the years (I know this sounds egotistical), that they were surprised I was not too obnoxious. It seems that they had known other short-people who ended up being “over-achievers” in order to compensate for lack of height. I don’t think I ever took any real offense at all the short jokes. I confess that I did get irritated by one fellow I remember who always…without exception…made the exact same “short” joke when he saw me. But it wasn’t the short joke that got to me, it was his total lack of originality.
I guess I think of labels like shoes…if they fit, then…
I’ve got a label for you, Paige…INSIGHTFUL! But if that offends you in any way…I’ll give you a completely different label…like OVER-SENSITIVE! I’m kidding…no really…
So you recently taught the Saturday ladies class at the Open church…way to go! Were you scared? And are you going to do it again?
Well…have a great Thursday evening. Remember how He delights in you. And…it’s alway right to agree with Him!
I GUESS WE ALL HAVE LABELS, SOME GOOD SOME BAD, THAT FIT. THE BEST THING I CAN DO IS TAKE THE ONES THAT ARE GOOD … AND GROW INTO THEM. THEN TAKE THE ONES THAT ARE BAD … AND GROW OUT OF THEM. I NEED TO ALLOW OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.
I LIKE THAT JESUS HAD A THIEF AMONG HIM … IT GIVES ME HOPE THAT HE ASSOCIATES WITH US ALL … KNOWING OUR HEARTS AND HAVING PATIENCE WITH US. BUT IT ALSO MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE BECAUSE I’M CALLED TO BE LIKE HIM … SO I DON’T GET TO GIVE UP ON SOMEONE WHO MAY BEAR THE SAME LABEL. THAT’S CHALLENGING. THANKS FOR OPENING MY MIND UP TO THAT THOUGHT.
YES … I RECENTLY TAUGHT AT THE OPEN. WHEN REX IS GONE WE ROTATE AROUND FOR SUBSTITUTES. SO SEVERAL OF US HAVE GOTTEN THE OPPORTUNITY … AND THE CHALLENGE OF TRYING TO SHARE, A LITTLE OF WHAT WE’VE LEARNED, WITH OTHERS.
HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND SHORTY!!!