Wondering, Wandering, and Writing

With a label here and a label there

Here a label, there a label

Everywhere a label, label

Old McDonald didn’t have labels on his farm, at least not when I sang it as a child.  Or did it?  Without labels, how would we know that a cow moos, a duck quacks, and a frog ribbits?

Labels can be very helpful. When I go grocery shopping, I spend more time reading labels than anything else.  Yes, I could shop just the fresh fruits and veggies and meats, but that’s not how we like to eat.  So, I spend a good bit of time looking for red 40 dye, blue lake 1, gluten, dairy (Have you tried to buy a protein bar without whey?  If you find a good one, please let me know.), and peanuts in their many forms.   These labels are helpful to me.

Labels for people can be helpful, too.  If you’ve ever parented or been emotionally close to someone with a struggling child, you know how important it can be to get an accurate diagnosis.  The struggle can be physical, mental, emotional, educational, or a combination. An accurate label can open doors to therapies, treatments, and opportunities.  The label doesn’t change the child.  The child is exactly the same on the day you get the diagnosis as the day before the evaluation.  However, the label may change our attitude.

 I’ve seen sighs of relief: Finally! We have an explanation for the craziness we’ve been living with. 

I’ve seen denial: NO!  My child is NOT ______! 

I’ve seen confusion: How did this happen?

I’ve seen devastation: What in the world will we do now?

Usually, we all get to acceptance and dealing with whatever it is.

Sadly, I’ve also seen labels tear people apart.  I watched a church split over semantics.  How the people lived their lives day to day was the same.  What they wanted for the community was the same: they wanted to serve the needy and share the gospel.  Even though I watched it; I could hardly believe it.

Words have power to heal, guide, destroy, and lead astray.

We need to be careful to think before we speak. We need to be willing to apologize when needed.  We need to be willing to accept an apology and grant forgiveness.

I’m not sure how I got onto forgiveness when I started out talking about labels.  Hmmm.

Well, this is a low-time-for-editing day so this is how it stays. 

Y’all, be kind to one another.  Listen as much as you speak. (I know that’s hard for some of you 😀 )  Think about the meanings behind the labels you use. Perhaps when you talk with the people with whom you disagree instead of talking at them, you will find you have more in common than you think.

#bgwww23