Labels

When I was thirteen, my family moved from the city to a small town in Louisiana. It’s difficult to switch schools at any age, but thirteen is traumatic. To make matters worse, I was the quiet, introverted type—not a bubbly person who made friends easily. It was difficult to enter a new group of peers when they had all been together since kindergarten. I was wearing the dreaded “new girl” label. Do labels exist at your school? The jocks, the brains, thin, stocky, plain—the list goes on and on. And the labeling doesn’t stop at school. Sometimes parents label their children. The good child, the bad child, the sporty one, or the pretty one. Sometimes we even brand ourselves. I thought all the girls in school were much prettier than me and had terrific personalities. So I labeled myself ugly. I was lousy at sports, so I branded myself a klutz. Personal branding might be the most destructive of all and the hardest to shake off. As Christians, we can rejoice: in God’s eyes, our label is “beloved child of God.” Jesus even calls those who trust in and follow Him “friends” (John 15:15). So the next time you feel left out because of your label, remember this: in Christ, you have a label that can never be shaken. And His label is the only one that matters. A prayer: *Heavenly Father, Thank You that, because of Jesus, You have declared me to be Your child and Your friend. When negative thoughts and labels about myself come to my mind, remind me of what You say about me, so I see myself as You see me.* • Sharon Rene • Do you belong to any labels or cliques at your school? If so, are you welcoming to others, or do you exclude them? How does belonging to Jesus affect the way you interact with others? • In Christ, we belong to God’s family. Reread today’s Bible passages. What labels do you receive when you belong to Jesus? Make a list to help you remember who you really are. (To learn more about what it means to belong to Jesus, check out our “Know Jesus” page.) No longer do I [Jesus] call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 (NKJV)

Read Verses:

John 1:12; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 1 Peter 2:9