The Person behind the Label

The Person behind the Label

Viktor Frankl wrote the book Man’s Search for Meaning.  In it he tells of his experiences as a prisoner of war in a Nazi concentration camp.  He was prisoner number 119104, but he became a man, a survivor and a respected writer, neurologist and psychiatrist.  The amazing fact is this - the man who was a number became a person. 

He didn’t let his label define his life.

Wow!  Let me say that again.

HE DIDN’T LET HIS LABEL DEFINE HIS LIFE!

We’ve watched the Olympics this week.  During the opening ceremony, as the athletes entered the stadium, I was struck with this thought.  Each athlete has a name and an identity, and God knows each one of them by name. 

No label.

No stigma of “Oh, you’re from over there.”

“So, you’re the pole vaulter?”

Or

“You’re that swimmer?”

          No. 

               No. 

                    No.

Each one is known individually. 

Amazing, really. 

No matter the labels you’ve worn in the past, they fall aside when we remember we are somebody unique, an individual with qualities and personality.  We are a creation of God.  We stand alone in our uniqueness. 

I've had a few labels attached to my name in the past.

     ‘Drummin’ Man’

     ‘Singer’

     ‘Drum Stick Dropper’

     ‘A leader who runs after his group’

      And ‘Knot head’.

I knew a man from my past called “Stinky.”

I knew a lady who bore the title – Fatty Patty.

Ouch.

Labels hurt when applied wrongly.

So, today, come out from behind your label.  Rise up; reclaim your identity as a child of God.  Accept your place as one of His finest creations.  You are not a step-child.  You are a child with rights and a place of honor.

Create a new label, a new handle by which you become known.

Repeat after me ...

"I am Somebody."

"There is no one else like me."

You and I are good and wholesome representatives of the human race.

Believe that.  Act on it.

Be a Becomer.

P Michael Biggs

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