Labels That Matter Most
by Annie Yorty
I know a young lady who leads with her labels. “I have ADHD, depression, anxiety, and PTSD,” she declares to anyone who will listen. Though she clings to human labels, she would do better to understand the labels that matter most.
Labels That Help
Contents: Made in Thailand; 57% polyester, 43% acrylic.
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold with like colors; Gentle cycle; Only non-chlorine bleach if needed; Cool iron on reverse side.
We find labels on food, clothing, books, and numerous other products. They help us understand ingredients, uses, and care. Some labels also warn.
Labels are helpful, but they are never complete. Goodness knows all the world’s lawyers have tried to cover every base with labels. That’s why coffee warnings say, “Caution: contents hot.” Plastic product packaging says, “Risk of suffocation.” Yet it’s impossible for labels to describe every eventuality.
Labels on People
People were not designed to be understood by worldly labels or categories. Though we have similarities, God created us with unique human features mingled with eternity planted in our hearts.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. (Psalm 139:13-14 NLT)
The complexity of God’s design will never be adequately expressed by limited human labels.
Even so, in our culture, people wear labels like fashion accessories. Labels sometimes feel comforting, like a cozy sweater. They run before us and announce needs that can be difficult to explain. They conveniently distill complicated characteristics into a single point.
I have a daughter with disabilities. She, too, has a list of labels used to identify her conditions. Most people assume they know all about her by the diagnosis of Down syndrome. They define her by their narrow understanding of that condition. Their stereotypes fall short of her diverse personality. Those with disabilities long to be understood as unique individuals beyond the narrow confines of labels.
Individuals with disabilities long to be understood as unique individuals beyond the narrow confines of labels. Click To TweetMy young friend also struggles with the paradox of her labels. She knows her exterior doesn’t necessarily reflect her diagnoses and the inner angst she sometimes feels. Because she longs to be understood for who she is on the inside, she tags herself with diagnoses. Yet she is disappointed when they fail to paint the complete picture.
I suspect we’ve all experienced the push and pull of labels. Your labels probably differ from mine, and they may evolve over time. We often embrace them while simultaneously resisting. Initially comforting, human labels ultimately fail.
Is anyone qualified to accurately label humans?
The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b NLT).
Two Truths about Labels That Matter Most
- Outward appearance is unreliable for labeling.
Humans make hasty judgments based on the first thing we see—outward appearance. God tells us this method of sizing up an individual is usually inaccurate and insufficient. Boiling down an individual to mere externals devalues them.
- Only God is equipped to label.
As Creator of every person, God knows the intimate heart details we may not understand or even perceive, yet He loves us unconditionally (Ephesians 1:4). Fortunately, God does not withhold His wisdom about these inner details from us. He makes it readily available in His word.
The first couple chapters in the book of Ephesians highlight many labels God says are true about us. There are also essential contrasts between our identity with and without a saving relationship with Christ.
Your Labels Without a Relationship with Christ:
- Spiritually dead in sins (2:1)
- Deserving of God’s anger and judgment (2:3)
- Outsider (2:11)
- Hopeless (2:12)
If these harsh labels identify you, God calls you to abandon them and accept salvation through His Son, Jesus. A relationship with Jesus Christ transforms your heart from the inside out, identifying you with new life and new labels. Learn more about that at Steps to Peace with God.
Your Labels Inside a Relationship with Christ:
- Chosen by God (1:4)
- Adopted into God’s family (1:5)
- Forgiven (1:7)
- Secure (1:13)
- God’s workmanship (2:10)
- God’s dwelling place (2:22)
This list only scratches the surface of the beauty and truth of God’s labels that matter most. Far more is tucked into the pages of Ephesians, waiting for you to seek and discover. I hope these truths whet your appetite, encouraging you to search Ephesians and other books of the Bible to discover more about your identity.
The complexity of God’s design will never be adequately expressed by limited human labels. Click To TweetWhat Might Your Label That Matters Most Look Like?
Contents: Made by God; Part flesh, part spirit (varies from day to day)
100% new material
100% forgiven
Care Instructions: Soak in unconditional love; Apply daily forgiveness; Use cool patience to smooth out wrinkles.
Join the conversation:
How have labels failed you?
I welcome your comments!
Copyright ©2023 Annie Yorty
These contents are adapted with permission from Crosswalk.com
From Ignorance to Bliss
What do you do when life comes at you sideways? From Ignorance to Bliss demonstrates how God uses the unexpected in life to grow and change those who are willing.
Readers receive inspiration and hope through a transparent dive into real life with Alyssa, who has Down syndrome. Annie offers stories of God’s faithfulness from before diagnosis and birth through adulthood.
Filled with humor, poignance, and practical insights, topics include expectations, education, stress, medical issues, recreation, work, siblings and friends, rejection and disappointment, and triumphs and joy.
18 Comments
J.D. Wininger
Oh my, how you started my day with “light” Ms. Annie. As I read, I paused to thank God that I’ve seen worldly labels proven wrong, and helped prove a few wrong myself, through the years. I thought of my little brother Paul and the many labels both children and adults attempted to affix to him. It was almost as though a label was an invitation to prove them wrong for us. “Blind”? Not a problem. I would pump $1 worth of gasoline into a can as Paul timed it in his head whenever there was a price change. No matter how much the customer wanted, he would always click the pump off within just a penny or two. “Unable to water ski”? He went onto to become a state champion (in Florida no less, the water skiing capital of the world) barefoot water skier, actually performing in the famed Cypress Gardens ski show on occassion. When I think of labels he was proud to wear, there were only four: Son, Brother, Friend, Child of God.
Thank you for bringing me back to remembrance of one dearly loved.
Annie Yorty
Your brother’s beautiful testimony made me cry, J.D. I have a young teen friend who is blind, and she is always amazing me too. God uses the weak things/people of this world to confound the wise. May we be weak and dependent on Him always.
Debbie Wilson
I loved this. Now more than ever people seem to be stamping labels on us. What a refreshing post!
Annie Yorty
Praise the Lord, Debbie! We’ll never find satisfaction in labels that don’t come from God.
Nancy E. Head
You and JD are both inspiring today!
A label I love came on a piece of clothing and said something like this: If you put me in the dryer, you will be sad.
Satan whispers negative labels in our ears, and sadly we take them as truth. Thank you for your listing of the labels God gives. Thanks, Annie, and God bless!
Annie Yorty
That’s a cute label you found on your clothing, Nancy. Satan would like to stick the ugly lies on us. Thankfully, in Christ, we don’t need to wear them. Thanks for visiting!
Jeannie Waters
Annie, what a thought-provoking post. I want to think more about how God “labels” us as I read Scripture. I think we do tend to limit our understanding of the labels we use for people. We need to remember the “label,” even if accurate, is only reflective of one quality.
Annie Yorty
Jeannie, thanks for visiting and adding to the conversation. We tend to focus on one or two characteristics of people, but God always sees us holistically. Blessings to you!
Katherine Pasour
Your message is a powerful reminder that we are not to judge one another. But as we all know, it’s so hard not to. Thank you for showing us, from the personal side, the harm labeling causes to others. As Christians, we are called to be the example for others–it should begin with us–to see the beauty of God’s creation in every individual.
Annie Yorty
God helps us see the beauty He created in each individual and to value their lives so much we help them to join the family. Thanks for adding to the conversation, Katherine!
Sandy Quandt
Love this, Annie. So much truth here.
Annie Yorty
Thank you, Sandy, for visiting!
Yvonne Morgan
Thank you Annie. We do need to stop labeling others and ourselves. We are children of God and accept His labels for our lives. He knows us better than anyone so His labels are the truest.
Annie Yorty
Yvonne, thanks for visiting! It’s difficult to not react to what we see in the outward appearance. With the Spirit’s guidance, we see beneath the surface.
Candyce Carden
This really reasonates with me. I spent most of my career with elementary-aged children and I hated how children often got labeled. And so young. They can become self-fulfilling, as in the child who is quiet and contemplative. She is often ignorantly labeled as shy and hears it all her life, so she decides she is shy.
Nothing could be truer than this statement: “The complexity of God’s design will never be adequately expressed by limited human labels.”
People are so much more than their labels. I love how you extracted positive labels from God’s Word that apply to those who follow Him.
Annie Yorty
I was one of those “shy” kids. That label couldn’t be further from the truth. Thanks for visiting and adding your voice to the conversation, Candyce!
Cathy Chung
The only label that matters is Child of God and all the God-given labels that follow. Every other label is insufficient. The beautiful thing is that the church is intentionally designed to gather all those worldly labeled people, mush them into relationship, encourage them to get to know one another (and hence respect their differences), teach them to love one another, resolve all the tensions that creep in, so that there is UNITY AMID DIVERSITY. This is God’s church. This is the gospel. All are equally valued.
Annie Yorty
Thank you, Cathy, for adding these thoughts to the conversation. God created such beautiful diversity among us. With same Spirit living within each of us, though, our hearts can be uniformly dedicated to Him. I think that’s miraculous!