Unglued - Labels

I am on the second week of the Unglued Bible study on Melissa Taylor's blog, and it is amazing how aware I am becoming on the moments where my emotions get the best of me. The biggest thing that I have noticed in the past couple weeks is how in the heat of the moment where emotions are going haywire, it is very hard to reign them in and deny them control over my actions.

In chapter 3, Lysa says a very simple sentence that hit me in a HUGE way: "Labels only stick if I let them."

I have lived my entire life with the "quiet person" label. I don't speak up very often in big groups, and I have a soft voice. It was while reading this very quote that I finally realized how much control that label has over my life.

What I have realized is that by having my "quietness" pointed out in group settings, it actually made me believe the lie that I am a quiet person, and I do not have much to say in big groups. It shook my confidence.

And I have been living this label for years.

This label has hindered me from believing that I can really do what God has called me to do. As Lysa states, "Those labels start out as little threads of self dissatisfaction but ultimately weave together into a straitjacket of self condemnaton."

The "quiet person" label has me tempted to believe that I'm not going to be successful at my job...that I'll never be able to impact someone's life because I don't know what to say to some people...that I'll always be intimidated by the people that are outgoing and always talking to everyone about everything, never seeming uncomfortable in any situation.

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

Masterpiece...We have all been created by God, exactly as He meant for us to be.

Created anew...When we trust Jesus for salvation and eternal life, we are a new creation. God has given us a new life, and we do not have to be the "same old" people we always were.

...the good things he planned for us long ago." God already knows what we will be able to do in our lives. We just need to step up to them.

The truth is this: I do not have to be controlled by the quiet person label. I do not have to be afraid to speak up in a group setting because of the fear of not being heard. I do not have to go into every conversation with a stranger with the worry that I won't know what to say next. I do not have to be intimidated by outgoing people but instead, observe how they keep conversations going with complete strangers and learn from them.

What is a label that you need to shake off?