Cut it out.


My feeling is that labels are for canned food. 
I am what I am—and I know what I am. –Michael Stipe


I have this habit. It’s neither bad nor good; it’s just part of who I am.

Whenever I buy a new sweater or top, one of the first things I do is cut the label out of the back of the neck. On my best days, I actually find my seam ripper and pick the stitching out, so there’s nary a trace of the label’s existence.

I do this because the label makes me uncomfortable. It scratches and pokes. And for me, a label is really pretty meaningless. I don’t choose a sweater because it’s a Gucci or Vera; I choose it because I like the way it makes me feel, or because of its quality. (Bonus if it’s on sale.)

Why do we even need labels, anyway? Does applying a label automatically make one sweater better or less worthy? It’s not about what’s on the tag; it’s about the sweater. 

And it’s the same way with people, isn’t it?

We are so quick to apply a label to someone. Christian. Atheist. Muslim. Immigrant. Lesbian. Republican. Democrat. Young. Old.

Then we go on to assume we know what that person is like, or what they believe—everything about them-- just from that label. (You know the old adage about when we assume. . . .)

It’s time to stop. Cut out the labels that make life uncomfortable.

If you absolutely must put a label on someone, choose the one label we all wear: human being. Beloved by God/ the Universe/ a Higher Power. Perfect just as we are, and worthy of love and respect. Period. It’s the only label that matters.


Monday The best way to remove labels is to educate yourself about someone not like you. Make a trip to the library, find a book about a different culture and read. Nehemiah 8:1-3

Tuesday When was the last time you sampled food from another culture (the real deal)? How about today? 1 Corinthians 12:12-14

Wednesday Reflect today on who you are. Which labels make you uncomfortable when others apply them without your consent? Which do you wear proudly? Luke 4:14-21

Thursday Is there a label you wear as an excuse to be less than you were created to be? (“I’m only a girl.”) Think of someone who defies that label; pray for them. Nehemiah 8:5-9

Friday In my part of the world, it’s cold, cold, cold; yet Down Under in Australia, the hot summer temps are breaking records. Pause and give thanks for the incredible diversity of Creation—and pray for those without shelter. Psalm 19:1-6

Saturday As you pray for yourself today, ask God for eyes to see as God sees, and a heart to love as God loves. Amen. 1 Corinthians 12:15-20

Sunday Sometimes churches get focused on diversity and lose sight of the unity of the Family of God. Today, focus on the many gifts of the one Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:21-31

Who you are cannot be defined through thinking or mental labels or definitions, 
because it’s beyond that.
It is the very sense of being, or presence, that is there 
when you become conscious of the present moment.
In essence, what we call you and the present moment are, 
at the deepest level, one. –Eckhart Tolle

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