Many label themselves by their personality, jobs, roles, etc. “I am an introvert; I cannot comfortably talk to strangers or in front of a crowd”. Or “I am shy; I cannot speak about my personal life. How can I tell my colleagues about Jesus?” You see how those labels limit you and tell you what you can and can’t do? Or have you seen people who lost their purpose or meaning when they lost their jobs or the capacity to do their jobs? 

Remember Joseph. Having had such a dream about being a leader, he didn’t question God why he had to be in prison. David, who had been anointed to be king as a teenager, continued to be a fugitive and even had to pretend to be a madman to save his life. These were not merely worldly labels or titles people put on them but the promises God made for them. Even so, if they fixed their eyes solely on those promises, they might have been disappointed in God. But we never read in the Bible that Joseph asked, “You gave me a dream that I would become a leader, but why am I in prison for something I didn’t do?” Nor have we ever read in the Psalms David complained, “You promised me to be a king; when will it happen?” 

Instead, David said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.“ (Psalm 23:1). “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” (Psalm 34:1). Please read the whole chapter of Psalm 34 and imagine that he wrote this psalm in when he pretended to be insane. Even when Saul wanted to kill him, he still said, “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” (Psalm 59:17).

What can we learn from them? Rely on God, and fix our eyes only on Him. Let not whatever labels the world tells us define who we are in Him. We are God’s children, God’s heirs and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). We are His beloved; He takes great delight in us and rejoices over us with singing (Zephaniah 3:17). His love doesn’t depend on what we do or not, but He loved and chose us before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5). He loves us so much that He sent His Son (John 3:16), Jesus Christ, to die for us when we were still sinners Romans 5:8). He didn’t stop there. He loves us too much to leave us in the state when He saved us. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

How do we see ourselves today? Do we let the labels people put on us define who we are and what we do? Instead, starting from the point of being children of God, unconditionally loved and lavished by grace, are we willing to come boldly to the throne of grace and obtain help (Hebrews 4:16) to do the good things He planned for us?