We all have labels that have been put on us.  Those things we may struggle with at times or always!  I’ve learned that once you get labeled with something, boy, it’s tough to be seen any other way. Are you the one that’s always late? The one that’s messy? Funny?  (Even if you are really hurting.) 

I have a friend who is known for being sarcastic.  She does well staying in that lane. Even if it means hurting other people’s feelings.  

One of my many labels is that I have anxiety.  I’ve struggled with it my entire life.  Anyone close to me knows that I have had many moments of complete irrational thinking and that I have acted on it.  I have made decisions based on fear.  I am the girl that unbuckled her seatbelt while seated in the last row of the airplane and attempted to walk off the aircraft just as the crew was about to close the doors for take-off.  

I have anxiety but I’m tired of wearing that label like a kid who got a ribbon for last place.  And maybe you are done with yours!  The labels that other people give us, and maybe even the ones we have given ourselves, do not define who we are.  God is working in me…just like he is working in you.

It’s a dance of trust, failure, and surrender that I have not quite nailed.  But, I am trying.  

It’s hard to change when others won’t allow you to.  There are people in my life that will still give me that label no matter how much progress I make.  They can’t possibly see the hard work that’s happening on the inside. And that’s okay!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
1 Peter 2:9

It’s a process. 

God sees the strides and changes, even if no one else does. He labels us as His child.  Fearfully and wonderfully made.  The one He has set free.  The one He sent his son, Jesus, to rescue. The one He is not done with yet.  Let’s start seeing ourselves the way He sees us. 

God, I want to be changed from the inside out.  I know it is a process that could take an entire lifetime. Help me to see the areas in my life that I need to completely surrender to You.  Allow me to take an honest look at my “labels” and seek You for growth in those areas.  God, as you continue to renew us, would You give us wisdom and strength to work through our past. When others don’t, remind us that we are only defined by who we belong to.  Thank you for calling us Your child.  Allow us to give grace to those who make it hard for us to change at times.  Mostly, give us a heart of compassion to those around us who may be trying to change as well.   In Jesus’ name, amen.

What label do you want to change? Let’s pray for each other. Share this with a friend who needs encouragement today. ⚓️

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