Identity, Self-Worth and Label's
We have Rock Stars, Sports Stars, Movie Stars, Political Stars, why we even have Dancing with the Stars!
With the advent of Social Media and the practice of Selfies, anyone can be a ‘Star’!
You can be somebody! You can be labeled a ‘Star’.
Is not that what we humans tend to do? We place on label on others, good or bad. We determine the label by the usage of various and sundry means—Race, Gender, Economic Status—-anything really—from the car we drive to how we dress and wear our hair.
If a person has a criminal record, depending on what their crime was, they could be labeled for years and some the rest of their lives, affecting their ability to get a job and a place to live and permission as to where they may travel.
Labels have consequences.
We also label ourselves. One of my granddaughters, a spry 8 years old, came home and told her mom that she did not want to be called her precious nickname anymore, she hated it. Why? Kids at school began to joke her, and label her!
We all have had different experiences growing up, some good and some not so good. Verbal, physical, emotional, mental, and sexual abuse shape who we are and how we perceive ourselves—-label ourselves.
A label may well determine the course of your life, good or bad.
In Jesus’ day, many were labeled. Lepers were banished from community in an attempt to stave off the disease from spreading, but the label attached to lepers were the great Sin they committed and God’s judgment on them. Well, God came in the flesh and touched them, healed them, removed the label from them!
The woman who washed Jesus’ feet was labeled. The Pharisees demanded an answer from Jesus when they spat, “Do you not know what manner of woman this is, Rabbi?” Insinuating she was a Whore. Jesus did respond by accepting her, forgiving her, and removing the stigma of that label.
Or the criminal crucified next to Jesus. He cries out to Jesus that he deserves his punishment, but Jesus did not deserve to be crucified. Jesus does more than forgive this man, Jesus, barely able to speak, tells him that he will be with Him in Paradise that very day!
The Apostle Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, male nor female, for you are all ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.”
Jesus removes all our labels and restores a Divine Label—Image Bearer/Child of God!
In this Age of Sin and Death, a Light has dawned! The Light of the Good News! We are summoned to walk in the Light of Who we really are, and in so doing, help others to be free of the Labels that seek to define, demean, divide and conquer so as to hinder our awakening to the Truth.
You may ask, how does God see me? Look at Jesus! You have been placed in Him. Your life is defined, healed, given a glorious destiny in Him! Now that Divine Stamp, that Divine Label is on you! Awaken to it!