SPIRITUAL & EMOTIONAL WELLNESS- What Is Your Label?

Ever notice when you meet someone for the first time, the question asked after “How do you do?” is often, “What do you do?” In our culture we seem to value people by what they do. So if the answer is a label from the professional field our society is more likely to value that person more than a “blue collar” worker.

This improper mindset may begin in the home, but is reinforced in our educational system, were it is but one of many pressures placed upon young minds. Some parents and educators even take the liberty to discourage children from following their passion to pursue a career in the high paying professions.

Another area in which labeling occurs is in relation to medical diagnosis. You may hear a person say, “I am a diabetic” or “ I am depressed.”  They equate diabetes or depression with who they are. In other words they are defined by a label.

We may have been programmed to value or identify a person by the label associated with their profession, occupation or medical condition, but the truth is, the value of a person comes from being created in the image of God. Every individual is created with a potential to fulfil a purpose for which s/he was born.

It takes a lot of courage and faith to become what God intended you to be, to seek the approval of God and not the approval of man.

As we follow Erin Stinson on her journey, in her book ”Mirror ,Mirror, to find Christian identity and purpose in a fallen world, we see a demonstration of this kind of courage and faith as she steps out from the profession of a “teacher” to pursue her individual passion and dream. Her book shows she did not act on a reckless impulse but on a well thought out decision based on sound theological reasoning and common sense.

She makes the point that “a good education, a good job and a healthy pay cheque do not equate with peace and joy."  She is also of the conviction, “our importance in life is not based on what we do."

I like the following example she uses to support her belief:

“If an athlete is in an accident that prevents them from competing have they lost their purpose? What if a concert pianist loses the ability to play? Are they now worthless? When someone is fired from a job are they now without purpose?"

Clearly our value, worth, purpose and importance in life is based on more than what we do, so  therefore we should not be defined nor  should we define others by their line of work or label.

Jesus was a carpenter, Matthew a tax collector, James, Peter, John and Andrew were fishermen. I might add, Paul was a scholar. They were all used of God because they were willing, not because of their label. They all left their careers to follow God’s purpose. 

Are you label conscious or purpose driven?

Until Next Time-Blessings!
Pastor Harold