Labels: The Good, the Bad, and the Dirty of Being Defined

 Everyone's got a nickname, right? Something that a parent or friends have called them that embodies their personality or a main trait that they exhibit the most. These nicknames are what you're known for in life and sometimes they can stick with you for life. For example, my name is Lily. My nicknames were Lilypad, or Silly Lily, or Lils, my youth pastor even called me Lilith for the longest time. Nicknames are cute, and they label you for life. 

That's where I want to start: Labels. A label can be anything, your name is a label, your position in a group of people, your position at work. All of these things are labels. I was labeled the "mom friend" of my group in high school. I was also the " Anorexic friend", the "depressed friend", and the "panicky friend". I was these things because I was defined by my past. I also was defined by my family. 

I am the oldest of four children. I was an MPK, which means a missionary pastor's kid. I was the "goodie two shoes" kid. I was the kid that when asked to jump, I asked how high. Yes... I was THAT kid. I took pride in that because I felt like I knew that they would love me because I was that kid. Later on when I was teenager, I hit the time with my eating and mental disorders. I then became the "weak", "pathetic" "attention seeking" kid. Overtime, my labels grew and grew and the pressure to be the perfect daughter became so much that I was completely overwhelmed because I wasn't living up to what everyone else wanted. I thought I wasn't good enough, I thought that my illnesses defined me. I thought that my labels that were given to me by others, by my parents and by myself were the textbook definition of who Lily Catherine was. 

Then college came along. And then the labels grew. Some good, some you never want to hear. I got the label of Reporter, Miss SLU First Runner Up, and FCA Leader. And then there were others... Slut, whore, monster, crazy, Psycho...Not really nice. This time, though, was different. I knew who I was, I knew that I wasn't any of that because my identity wasn't in who other people thought I was, my identity was in who I knew I was. That was forgiven, that was strong, that was brave, that was driven. My value- your value is never in what people tell you, you are. You are what you make yourself- and even if you feel like you don't add up to much, you're growing into yourself. You're becoming what God had molded you in the womb to be. You are beautiful, you are strong and courageous because God  made you in His image. I know who I am because I trust the purpose and the race that God has set before me. 

Why is your value not in what people tell you? Because they don't know everything about you, they may not know you're having a bad day one day so your personality isn't there. They may not know you have circumstances that you're just trying to get through so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your value never changes because you are invaluable because you are you. There is no one like you. Your past doesn't define you, just like my past does not define me. I have grown from my experiences but I don't live in the same labels that used to strangle me and keep me in a box. 

I agree. It is hard to not live in the labels that you've been given, but trust me, it is possible to step out of that and be yourself. Because YOU are beautiful just the way you were created. Trust me on that.