Labels

Hello ladies! It's been a while since I've been on here. Glad to be back :-).

Today I want to talk about labels. Labels are the mean or awful names we or others will give to us. We as women tend to struggle with these, often times harsh labels, the most. We do it to ourselves and we do it to other women and here is where we find ourselves in sin of judging and condemning. And that my friends is a dangerous place to be. I'm doing an online bible study right now on the book Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst. In this book she states "Labels are awful. They imprison us in categories that are hard to escape." My how I have found that to be true. Maybe you have to?

As you know I'm a single mom. I look at being a single mom as a label; a label I will be stuck with. I often think that's what "people" think of me. But you know what I have learned? I can look at this label and break it down into what Lysa says as either reality or a lie meant to tear me down. She gave us a demonstration that I want to share with you. You can insert whatever your "label" is and determine the reality and the lie just as I did below.

1. Identify the label
The reality: I am a single mother. The lie: Being a single mom means I'll be this way forever. The truth: I am a single mother, but I don't know what God's plan is for me in the future. This does not make me any less important than a mother who is married. I am simply a mother. And a beautiful one at that :).

She then tells us to view our circumstance as a call to action, not a call to beat ourselves up mentally.

2. View the circumstance as a call to action
Being a single mom has saved my life! This is why I'm here doing what I'm doing. This is why I started this blog because I know how it feels to be here. I have struggled with it, still sometimes do. But I have accepted it as what God wants for my life right now. So, I decided I wanted to do something. Something to help another woman and this is how this blog came to be.

3. Use the momentum of tackling one label to help tackle more.

Lysa also says that "labels only stick if I let them". Did you hear that? Labels only stick if we let them stick! We should not keep doing this horrible thing to ourselves. We are making ourselves prisoners. That's why we must turn to the Lord for him to "chisel" us. Shape us into the God fearing women He created each of us to be. And He can and He will. If we let Him. Let's choose today ladies. Let's choose to be free from the prison of labels.

Blessings,
Liz