Rip Off the Label

by Lexi Morris

"And ye are complete in Him..."

Colossians 2:10

Recently, I read a story about a young girl who felt like her life had been “labeled.” Labeled in the sense that it seemed to define her entire life, and she was greatly affected by it. It was evident in her day-to-day life that she carried her list of labels wherever she went. The list grew and grew until it became seemingly unbearable to carry, so she had a choice to make. Should I continue to let the labels define me or should I rip off the labels?

The answer to those questions seem to be obvious to those of us that are reading this post. Surely none of us truly desire to carry a list of labels around that are the deciding factors for how we live, how we act, and even how we treat ourselves. Unfortunately, when we label ourselves we become comfortable with them, and it becomes difficult to let them go. When you live with a label for any period of time, then I am sure that you could attest that everything goes through the lens of that label. For example, if I labeled myself as “unloveable”, then my relationships around me would eventually show that it is hard for me to accept true and genuine love. We begin to view everything around us in an unhealthy way just because of the “labels”.

Sadly, we are so quick to label ourselves and even others. If we do not look the part, we label ourselves as not good enough. If we fail to complete a difficult task, we label ourselves as a failure. Inadequate, unworthy, and unloveable are some of the labels that young girls are defining themselves with today. As we define ourselves with these labels, we are ultimately identifying ourselves with them. In essence, we are holding a sign over our head that says, “I am … “. You can fill in the blank. We put the dress of “unwanted” on, walk out the doors of our home, and expect to be treated as if we are really unwanted, because that’s what we believe about ourselves. We begin paralyzing ourselves from completing the work that Christ has for us, all because we believe that our life has been labeled as a “nobody”. When we do this, sometimes subconsciously, it locks our identity in a box, and my friend, that box needs to be broken. Christ has already labeled you as His very own. The only one adequate enough to label you is the One who formed you.

Friend, let me refocus your attention to your true identity today. If I could label your life, it would echo Paul’s writings in Colossians. He wrote to the church of Colossae and said, “And ye are complete in Christ,” (Colossians 2:10). This verse may not mean a whole lot to you, but friends let it become stamped on your heart today!

“Ye are complete”. There is nothing that needs to be taken away from your personality, and there is nothing that needs to be added to your appearance, because you are complete. You are not complete in yourself, your job, or your good deeds. Rather, you are complete in Him alone. He is the label that we have the blessed opportunity to wear. So own it, you are complete in Him.

We are all familiar with the story of the woman who hid the two Israelite spies in her home. Namely the woman of Jericho, known as Rahab. I think it's safe to say that she had a less than desirable reputation. She was not well-loved, and she was popular for all the wrong reasons. I’m sure that those around her did not value her as a person of integrity. She had a name given to her, and she couldn’t get away from it.

Little did Rahab know that her plan to hide the spies led to her redemption. I won’t recount the whole story to you today, but Rahab was no longer the woman with a rough reputation when she met Jesus. Her story of ruin was turned to redemption. God changed her labels, and the book of Matthew records her as one of the five women mentioned in the genealogy of Christ. If God changed Rahab’s labels, I am more than confident that He can change yours too! Rip off the label and let Christ rewrite your story.