4 Powerful Truths About Labels You Need to Know

When was the last time you were stopped dead in your tracks? Glancing down at the label on a pack of American cheese I had just bought brought me to a screeching halt. $10.02! What?! For cheese? I only bought a pound and it was on sale. Still in my state of shock, I quickly scanned the rest of the label. There in bold print just above the crazy price read “Black Forest Ham.” Not only was it the wrong product, but the cost was nearly three times what it should have been. The fiasco helped me to discover four powerful truths about labels.

Labels can be really wrong

Thinking about my package of cheese, it’s easy to conclude that labels can be wrong, really wrong. I didn’t look at the package and question if I had mistakenly been given ham. I knew it was cheese. But, then why when someone gives us a wrong label do we hold on to it as though it’s truth? We allow words to impact us weeks, and years beyond they’re spoken. We sometimes allow people’s opinions to become labels that we hold on to as fact.

But friend, labels can be really wrong! The next time someone tries to label you or you remember an old one spoken to you, think of my cheese. I could call it ham all I wanted but it is still cheese. You are a valued daughter or son of God. When people try to tear you down, stand tall. They’re the ones that are wrong!

The label doesn’t change the contents

If I had made a sandwich with my deli purchase the next day, it would have been a cheese sandwich. The label of ham didn’t change what was inside of the Ziploc bag that it came in. The only way the contents of the bag could be ham would be if I replaced the cheese with ham. The label by itself doesn’t change the contents.

So, when someone tries to slap a label on you, unless you change the contents of what’s inside, your inside hasn’t changed. Recognize it for what it is, an external wrong label. Don’t allow words or opinions to change how you see yourself, how you define yourself, or impact what you have on the inside. Lose the label instead of losing you.

 The label come with a cost

Upon realizing the error, it was obvious that the deli clerk’s labeling error cost me nearly three times what it should have cost. Allowing labels to change our sense of self-worth or purpose can be an expensive cost. Allowing a negative label to stick in our minds, can cause us to hold ourselves back and likely forfeiting some of our impact that we could have had on the world around us. It’s important to recognize where we’ve allowed labels to jade our thoughts. Once we’ve identified them, we can work to let go and be freed from their limiting influence.

Beyond the impact to our sense of worth, we can subconsciously label our possessions. Holding on to things that don’t have a sentimental value and haven’t been used in years essentially labesl those things as valuable or useful. Clutter of things we hold on to can cost us peace of mind. And, they come with an opportunity cost that is missed when they could be used by someone who truly needs them.

It’s up to us to resolve discrepancies

When there’s a discrepancy between a label and the contents, it’s up to us to resolve the difference. The day after my cheese purchase, I headed back to the store. I wasn’t about to “eat” the cost of the difference (pun intended). Once at the store, they quickly realized their surprise mistake. They refunded the price of the ham and didn’t charge me for the cheese as a way of apologizing for their error.

When we encounter wrong labels, it’s up to us to what we do with it. In most cases, it’s an internal decision. What am I going to do now that I’m aware of this “label”? In the case of words that try to put us in a box, we can take time to remind ourselves of who we are and who we were created to be. We have the authority to ignore a label, just like I’m ignoring that my cheese says “ham” on it. When we don’t decide how we will handle the situation, we’ll be stuck paying the price for it. And, when it comes to our possessions, reassessing and reevaluating is a good thing. Does this still have value, or is it useful or does it have sentimental importance? No? Then move it on and let it bless someone else.

It’s your turn

Who knew a package of cheese could hold so much wisdom? It’s a great reminder for all of us – you don’t have to accept a label and, you choose if you’ll believe the label or not. Have you ever let an opinion hold you back or is one holding you back now? Have you ever had an old dusty opinion from years ago creep out of the recesses of your mind only to try to keep you in a box? Or, have you subconsciously used labels to keep “stuff” that deep down you know you should get rid of?  If you can say yes to any of those questions, you’re not alone!

This week raise your awareness where words or labels have crept into your life and impacted your worth, purpose, or peace. Then once you “see” the limiting words for what they are, choose what you do with them. Remember they don’t change the contents of you, only you can do that!

If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you. Even if my cheese story just brought you a smile, I’d love to hear that too. And if you feel so inclined, why not click to share so that your friends and family can be reminded by the powerful impact of words when they create labels.

Until next time friend, be blessed!

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