All posts tagged ministry

We live in a culture that rushes to label things.

We’re obsessed with labeling and categorizing.

Throughout the course of our lives, labels are used to define who we are and what we do.

There are labels of our heritage… our ethnicity, country of origin, or people groups our family members descended from.

There are labels that come from our family… we can be brothers, sisters, wives, husbands, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmothers and grandfathers.

There are labels that define who we are as individuals… our gender, sexuality, where we end to college, the sports teams we love, the social circles we associate with, the products that we purchase, the causes we passionately support.

There are labels that define our work… our field of study, our profession, our job titles, our ministry roles.

And there are other labels that we don’t like so much… the dark, sometimes unnamed parts of our stories. Our painful pasts, struggles and addictions. Failures. Broken relationships. Those kinds of labels are sometimes the worst. Some of those labels were projected upon us by others, and some labels we chose to place upon ourselves.

I am Tim.

I’m also male. I’m a son. I’m adopted. My biological father is Mexican. My mother is of European descent. I usually check the box marked ‘Hispanic.’ I am a brother. I have been blessed to be called an uncle. I’m a Peorian. I’ve been the “chubby kid” from as far back as I can remember. I am a Christian, although I prefer to say “Christ-follower.” I am a church communications guy. I’m single. I’m a co-worker. Someone mistakenly called me “pastor” once. I’m a consultant. I’m a blogger. I’m an Apple fanatic. I’m a coffee snob. I’m also pretty selfish. I try earnestly to not be prideful.

There are many labels that could define me, and there are many labels that could define you, too.

Personally, I don’t like labels. Whether they are personal, professional, or even spiritual.

Sure, they make life a bit easier and make things easier to identify. But all too often we rush to label things. Worse yet, we label people, and many times the labels we project onto others can be inaccurate. They can cause us to miss seeing the person or hearing the story behind the label. Labels oftentimes cover up what they are stuck to and we can miss what’s really there.

Throughout the course of our lives there will be many labels that we will bear.

What we are labeled isn’t who we are, though.

Our identity isn’t in the labels.

I’m more than a son, friend, church communicator, sometimes prideful guy who happens to be a caffeine addict.

You are more than your past. You are more than what you do. You are more than the labels others have used to define you or even the labels that you’ve thrust upon yourself.  Your identity doesn’t rest in what you’ve done, the titles you’ve earned, where you’ve come from, or where you are going.

Christ sees beyond the labels and sees us as who we truly are: children of God.

One of my favorite authors of all-time is Henri Nouwen. He wrote a lot about our identity as believers and once said:

“Your true identity is as a child of God. This is the identity you have to accept. Once you have claimed it and settled in it, you can live in a world that gives you much joy as well as pain. You can receive the praise as well as the blame that comes to you as an opportunity for strengthening your basic identity, because the identity that makes you free is anchored beyond all human praise and blame. You belong to God, and it is as a child of God that you are sent into the world.”

Once we choose to follow Christ, we are no longer living under the identity of our labels but live in the reality of who we truly are. While society and culture may try to label or define otherwise, who we are is nothing more than children of God.

So while there may be many labels that are used to define who I am or who you are, our true identity rests in the fact that we are all unworthy sinners who have received God’s amazing grace. We have the humbling privilege of being children of God.

Our identity isn’t in our labels but in Christ.

It’s an identity that can’t be stolen or taken away from us. It’s secure.

That’s good news… for all of us. 

And, it’s a challenge as we go about life and ministry to not rush and to label others. Peel back the layers. Strip away the labels. Hear someone’s story. Share yours.

Rejoice in the fact that we are all in Christ. We’re His children. Who we are rests in who He is.

I’m Tim. I’m a child of God.

Who are you?

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I wrote this post prior to hearing about People of the Second Chance’s #LabelsLie Campaign. It’s fantastic and goes right along with what I’ve shared above. Check it out.