A New Label

It is a hard world that we live in today. People can be fickle and sometimes cruel. When I was a little girl, I lived in the city. There were a lot of other girls that lived on my block, and they were tough like most city kids are. Me- I was gentle and didn't want to hurt anyone. People always told me I was gentle and kind. That was frowned upon by the other kids on my block and I was made fun of and bullied. Groups of the girls would wait for me to come outside and dare me to fight, which they knew I wouldn't. Then they would call me "chicken."

I wasn't made to be tough. What those kids looked at as not being a good thing are qualities that many value in the work and volunteer work that I have done as an adult. My friends love that I am gentle and kind; God made me to be that way. 

We all have unique qualities and characteristics that make us who we are and the special people that God made us to be. We aren't supposed to be like someone else, we are supposed to be like the very person that God made us to be. People have throughout all of our lives given all of us labels of one kind or another. For many of us, certain ones have stuck. They have been reinforced over time, and we have owned them. For some it may be about weight, for others about intelligence, or ethnicity. Whatever it was, it had a negative connotation to it and it hurt. 

As I have been studying the Bible, the more I read, the more I know how very precious each one of us is to our Creator. He would be very sad to hear the names other people have called us and that we have sometimes taken on as labels. I thought of myself as not having courage for a long time because of the events that occurred years ago when I was a little girl. Through reading the Bible and learning more about God and what He has to say about me I know that isn't true. I have prayed that He reveal the truth to me and He does .What beautiful jewels we find in the Bible about how much He loves us; here are a few:

• In Psalm 139:14- God tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made 
• God tells us that we are "His treasured possessions" in Deuteronomy 7:6. 
• In 1 John 3:1 God says He loves us so much that we can be called His children.
• In Psalm 17:8- He tell us we are the apple of His eye.
• Ephesians 2:10 tells us that God sees us as his masterpiece.
• It tells us that God loves us and because we are precious to Him He will meet our needs in Matthew 6:25-34

It is time to get rid of the labels that make us feel like we are "less than" anyone. The truth is You are a child of the Most High! There is nothing better than that. He knew exactly who and how you would be before you were even born! From your size and shape, to the color of your eyes, and the personality traits and talents that make you who you are--these, all of these were predestined! We are all so valuable to Him, and yes that includes you too!

So now is the time go ahead and change your label to one that is true. Choose one that fits your current need and when you lose focus on the one who is always faithful, reaffirm His love for You with your new label!

I am no longer a chicken, or someone with no courage, I am a daughter of the Most High and His treasured possession! So who are you?