Every new year, without fail, we are surrounded with advertisements for the newest weight loss fad, and tips on how to become a “new you”. We are encouraged to set goals to better ourselves to keep up with what society thinks we should be. If we don’t meet these unrealistic expectations, we are assigned labels that only make us doubt our self-worth and question our identity.

No one likes labels. Perhaps it is because most labels are negative and focus on our worst qualities. Many of these labels don’t leave room for growth or our differences. They provide an inaccurate representation of who we really are.

What if this year we reinvented ourselves, not based on the world’s view of us, but based on God’s truth about us? If you were to Google “verses about who I am in Christ?”, there are numerous verses to remind you of who God says you are. You are made new in Christ, you are loved, forgiven, worthy, beautiful, accepted, and capable to fulfill the purpose for which God created you. In times where those negative voices around us try to discourage us, remind yourself that God did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.²

Your age, circumstances, your struggles, or your past do not define who you are. Those labels simply describe a season through which you have come. If we allow God to walk with us through these seasons, he will help us learn, grow, and will refine us to be more like him. This should be our ultimate goal.

Take a moment to think of the labels you’ve taken on over the years. Are these labels a reflection of who God says you are? If not, I encourage you to spend some time with God in prayer and reading His Word. Let go of all the labels that are weighing you down and accept your new identity in Christ!

Suggested prayer: Dear God, please show me what labels I have allowed in my life that are only holding me back. I give them to you and ask that you help me replace them with who you say I am. As I learn to embrace my identity in You, I ask that you help me be an encouragement to others who also need to find freedom in you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1.      Colossians 3:12 (CSB).

2.      2 Timothy 1:7.

Today’s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.