What Is Your Label?

About 6 months ago I was sitting in a room with several people and I cried uncontrollably over the hard year I had been having.  I cried because I was overwhelmed from walking through 2 life saving surgeries - one for my daughter and one for my husband - in only 3 months. I cried for the loss of my best friend and grandmother. I cried that my sister had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I cried because my heart was heavy and it was the first time I had let those tears flow.  One of the people in this room looked at me and said, "Quit being a victim." Those words rang through my ears and pierced my heart like the sharpest of knives. A victim was one thing I was NOT. I felt like yelling at this person but instead I sat quietly and decided this was one person that I no longer needed in my life as a friend.  It's not that she said she didn't like my dress or the way I did my hair. I can handle those types of comments but when someone walks through the fire you should ease their wounds and not tear at them. But that's not the end of the story. I took that to heart, in the way that I became determined to be anything but a victim. I let God determine my worth - not a friend.

Can you imagine if I would have let that comment really get to me?  It would have drug me down, probably put me in a depression and I wouldn't be where I am today. The fact that she put a label on me   did not make it true.  She had no idea what God put in me, she had no idea the call He put on my life.  I am confident I handled last year with grace. But it's not a pride in me it's a humble thankfulness to God for carrying our whole family through.  Today I am flourishing in what I do, my family is healthy and very happy. We do not feel sorry for ourselves we feel confident that our almighty God will never leave us nor forsake us.  We feel strong in Him and the power of His might.  Victim is not at all what we have ever felt. 

Has someone put a label on you in life? Or have you put a label on yourself?  I remember Isaac telling me through the first couple years of our marriage that he wasn't good at math and in fact he wasn't a good student at all.  Well thankfully he didn't let this idea settle too deep as he received the highest math score his police academy had ever seen and went on to later be a 4.0 student in college. 

My point is that labels do not determine your worth unless you let them. If you're gonna give yourself a label let it be a child of God. How about choosing labels like 'successful', 'kind', 'generous', 'wise', 'driven', 'loving', 'patient', etc.  Don't let anyone determine your worth except you and your creator.  He has called you to do amazing things in your life.  Take off the labels that tear you down!

This friend is no longer part of my life - but if she ever came to me with a softened heart I would welcome her back in an instant. Forgiveness is something that is given out freely in my life because it was given to me when I was so undeserving. 

My Label - Daughter of the Most High - sound pretty fancy cuz it is! :)