For years I called myself a ‘mousewife’. I was very timid and afraid to do much out of my small comfort zone. It was safe being Rick’s wife, and my children’s mom. I became an expert at talking myself out of opportunities when they presented themselves.
By age 35 I realized life was passing me by. I never earned the business degree I always wanted, never became an author like the blood in my veins told me I should do.
Now at ’3 from 50′ (47 years old) I am a small business owner making soy candles, and am writing again, like I know the Lord wants me to do. What changed? I discarded the labels. No more ‘mousewife’, no more ‘just Rick’s wife’ or ‘the kids’ mom’ and no more being afraid to try new things.
No it hasn’t been easy. Yes I have made mistakes. However, I feel alive and vibrant in my life. I no longer feel life is passing me by, nor do I feel I am letting God and myself down.
I have a long way to go yet before I am a published author with any credibility and my candle business is not even a drop compared to some of the big name candle companies. But I’m living and growing, touching other’s lives for God with the message I know He wants them to have: that they are precious treasures to God and He loves them very much, just as they are!
Why am I telling you this? Because I realized when we label ourselves, we do ourselves a huge injustice.
When we label ourselves we are essentially giving up on ourselves. We will never attain the next step in our growth because we have settled on being ‘nervous’, or ‘large’, or we like being ‘cute’, ‘little’ or it’s easy being ‘ditsy’ because we aren’t required to get out of our comfort zone.
But what does God think of us putting ourselves in a box and taping it shut from the inside? I don’t think He likes it. I feel He wants us to be all we can be. He wants us to bear fruit for Him.
Just a thot: What if our self labeling is the same as self strangulation? I believe that we stifle the Holy Spirit, essentially strangling ourselves, when we allow our thinking to strip off the leaves of opportunity to create a bare vine that cannot produce fruit.
Have you ever wondered in awe at handicapped people who achieve so much more in their lives than most normal people? How do they do it? I know how they do it. They refuse to be labeled. They don’t strip off the leaves of possibility and they believe they can achieve what they want to attain without being afraid of hard work, set backs or negative words being hurled at them from misunderstanding people around them.
What are you afraid of? What is it that you have labeled yourself as and cut off the possibilities for growth because of it?
It is my prayer that you become the person God created you to be; no labels, no fears, only open to God’s love and mercy, allowing His Son to shine on you and help you grow!
Forgiven is the only label I want!
