Labels

Today, I was addressing an envelope, and as I typed up the label and put it on the envelope, I knew the Post Office would get it where it needed to be. That label told them who it belonged to and where it was going. Without the label, the envelope is exactly that, an envelope. It doesn't change with the label, become better or worse, it is still an envelope. The Post Office is not going to look at that envelope and not process it because they don't like the label, they are going to treat that envelope exactly the same as they do all the others. We have a lot of clients in my company, so over my time there, I have typed thousands of labels. Just like people. We have thousands of labels (both good and bad) for people in our lives, and people we pass by. How many times have we labeled someone based on their outer appearance, or a certain way they act. Does that label, that you are assigning them, make them any less or more of a person than you? Does that label make them someone other than exactly who God created them to be? No. They are still a person and still someone that God created, just like you.

I am guilty of this, I'll admit it. It is so hard not to do because it is easy to pass judgement on someone because they are different than what you believe they should be. One of the most frustrating things to me is when someone is lazy with work. Not someone who takes time off, because everyone needs that, but someone who will only do what they need to get by. When I stop and think about it, maybe they aren't lazy. Maybe they just need that feedback, or need more training so they can work more efficiently? Just because in my mind I have labeled them does not mean that is who they are. That label could be the hindrance from me showing them God's love. The labels you place on people, and that people place on you, do not define who you are in Christ. He loves you exactly the way you are. Can we all improve, of course, but God is there to guide and teach you to be the person He meant for you to be. The next time you have a label for someone, think about how that label could effect their life, and yours.