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

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stepping back. . . .

Image
Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and with a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,  even if your whole world seems upset.  –St. Francis de Sales This week, I invite you to simply sit in a quiet space with words of hope and promise, and to remember, as Julian of Norwich knew, that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well . It has been a long, difficult season. Advent and the coming of the Christ is just around the corner. Peace and comfort to your spirit. Monday   “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30 Tuesday  “Is this not the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6-9 Wednesday  “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the
Read more

It's that time again. . . .

When the seasons shift, even the subtle beginning, the scent of a promised changed, I feel something stir inside me. Hopefulness? Gratitude? Openness?  Whatever it is,  it’s welcome. –Kristin Armstrong No matter what part of the world you call home, this time of year brings big changes. While my friends Down Under are watching sings of new growth emerge from the earth as temperatures rise, here in Ohio, the leaves are turning from green to gold and orange, red and brown. The winds have taken on a chill; clouds hang heavy, like soggy cotton, reminding us that soon and very soon, we are going to see the snow . Always different, yet somehow, the same. We depend on God’s eternal ways, and trust that again this year, winter will follow autumn, just like it should. So why is it, as we anticipate and appreciate changes like these, when it comes to so many things in life we pull up short, wrinkle our noses and say No! No change! I like things just the way they are! It’s t
Read more

Starting again

“This, then, is how you should pray:" --Matthew 6:9a I have been really sensing lately that there is another blog inside me, one focused on prayer.  Oh, I know-- those elephants are all about prayer. Heck, they  are  prayer. And I will continue there, as well. But what I've been feeling is that people-- maybe you--  have always been told, "You should pray," or "Pray about that." But maybe you feel your prayers aren't "good enough," or that it's just too hard, too embarrassing, too [fill in the blank] to pray. Maybe it feels like no one really talks about how  to pray-- except, of course, for Jesus, in Matthew 6 and a couple parallel passages where we are given what's come to be known as The Lord's Prayer. And it is a great prayer. And there are other great prayers, and other ways to pray that do not involve rote. So "my plan" here is to share, hopefully on a weekly or semi-regular basis, a lot of
Read more