labels

the military is a funny place.  it's very much like the song, "secret agent man" where it says "they're giving you a number, and taking 'way your name."  i remember not too long after i went active with the marines, i was talking about a conversation i had with a marine to my bride, and she asked his name, so i said "lance corporal ________."  she then asked, "but what's his first name?" so i looked i gave her a puzzled look and said, "lance corporal?"  but that's the military for you.  she was friends with my co's wife at 2nd tracs, and she would refer to my co as "patrick," to which i replied, "please stop calling him that.  it weirds me out.  he's colonel!"  marines are very proud of their mos, and they will gladly tell you that they are an 0311, or an 1833, or whatever their mos might be.  it's their identity as marines.

the navy goes one step further.  their job is in their rank.  so you might find a ps2, which is a "personnel specialist, 2nd class petty officer," or a fc1, "fire controlman, 1st class petty officer."  the officers are known by their job titles, such as "weps" (weapons officer,) "suppo" (supply officer,) "cso" (combat systems officer,) etc.  i'm even relegated to the title "chaps."  in the aviation community, they are known by their call signs (think "top gun" with "maverick," "goose," and "iceman.")  my call sign when i fly is "wild" (do they know me or what?)

however, i've noticed that we have labels in civilian society as well.  there are the job labels such as the mailman, the barber, the boss, the secretary, etc.  you can be labeled based on position, such as somebody's brother, somebody's spouse, and other labels that indicate your relation to a person.  these can be good or bad, depending on the person they are relating you to.  i've made it a point to always introduce my bride by her name instead of as my wife to maintain her identity outside of me, because she is more than just my wife (even though on here i refer to her as my bride for protection purposes.)  but for somebody living in the shadow of a sibling or a parent, it can be difficult to get out from under that shadow, whether it's good or bad.  then there are the labels based on a person's past, such as drunk, slut, liar, jerk, adulterer, etc.  and those are the labels that are the hardest to get rid of.  no matter how much a person may change, there are always going to be those that insist on referring to them by their past labels.

when counseling someone who has been through a traumatic event, there is always the propensity for that person to bear the label of the victim.  one of the keys to helping a person through that, is to realize that being a victim is not who they are, and is not their identity.  sure, it will always be part of their past, but it doesn't have to define them.  sexual assault and domestic abuse survivors have the hardest time with this, which is partly why domestic abuse survivors have a higher chance of being abused again, because they see themselves as a victim.   

yes, labels can stick with you for years, and they can be very discouraging.  if a person starts allowing a label to define them, it can result in defeat and depression, and can even lead to acquiring other labels along the way, as label wearers tend to collect them.

however, for those in CHRIST, there's good news.  Scripture tells us that whenever a person is in CHRIST, they are a new creation, and that old things are passed and all things have become new.  i see so many people buying into those labels, and say that God could never use them because they are whatever label they are holding onto.  for those of you that are struggling with that, let me encourage you a bit.  here's the labels Scripture applies to you if you are a redeemed follower of CHRIST:

child of God (john 1:12)
friend of Jesus (john 15:15)
justified and redeemed (romans 3:24)
heir with CHRIST (romans 8:17)
accepted by CHRIST (romans 15:7)
saint (1 corinthians 1:12)
temple of the Holy Spirit (1 corinthians 6:19)
new creature in CHRIST (2 corinthians 5:21)
holy and unblemished (ephesians 1:4)
God's workmanship (ephesians 2:10)
members of CHRIST's body (ephesians 3:6)
righteous and holy (ephesians 4:24)
light in the Lord (ephesians 5:8)
citizen of heaven (philippians 3:20)
chosen by God (colossians 3:12)

and those are just a few.  remember, the enemy is described as the "accuser of the brethren," and he loves nothing more than to drag up your past and flaunt it in your face to rob you of your effectiveness and joy.  so next time your past seems to be getting the best of you, remind it that you are no longer that person.  when you are tempted to go back to your past, realize that you are a better person than that, and that old life no longer has dominion over you unless you let it.