Labels Condemn, Jesus Redeems

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery." - John 8:3-4

Rahab the harlot. Hannah the barren. Leah the unloved and unwanted. Ruth the stranger in a foreign land. Martha the anxious. Mary Magdalene the possessed. The unnamed woman in John chapter 5 was the adulteress.

Growing up, I was never a girly girl. I grew up a tomboy and played with action figures, toy soldiers, and Mattel cars with my twin brother. I loved my childhood and never saw anything wrong with growing up this way, until I started school. Then the labels began attaching themselves to my heart.

Labels like ugly, overweight, dog, were placed on me by boys. Labels like dummy, stupid, loser were hurled at me by girls on my basketball team. Labels like incompetent, not good enough, inadequate, screw up, were placed on me by a gal named Whitney Sparks because of various failures or flaws.

Labels hurt and depending on how sticky they are, can have long-lasting negative effects.

Have you ever had someone place a label on you because of your past mistakes? Maybe you were labeled in school as a nerd or town tramp. You might be known as the gossip around the office or alcoholic in the family. You might wear the label black sheep, overly emotional, lazy, overweight, hypocrite, spoiled, stupid, or selfish.

Why do we allow labels others dish out to stick to us? Did you ever think that the one who created the label for you does not fully know you? They are not your Creator, and they certainly do not know your heart. They may hear the words you say and watch your actions, but nobody knows you like Jesus does. Nobody.

As I have been reading about the adulteress woman in John chapter 8, I cannot feel anything but empathy for her. Be careful not to misunderstand me. I do not condone her actions - having an affair with another man while possibly still married to her husband. She was in the wrong but to be dragged from your home into the city streets for everyone to witness your mistake breaks my heart.

We often forget that we have all made mistakes. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Because of the sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we fall short of God's perfection daily.

Let me reassure you, my friend, there is hope. We do not have to live in our past. Jesus never desired for us to wallow in our mistakes. While speaking alone with the adulteress woman, Jesus did not condemn her, but He did encourage her to "Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11). Jesus desires the same for us today.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, He says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!" My friend, Jesus stands waiting at the door knocking. All we have to do is open the door, let Him in, and accept His good will for our lives (Rev. 3:20).

The only way to identify what Jesus thinks of us is to read His Word - daily. Jesus longs for to be a Father to us and to call us His sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:18). Now, that's a label I love having stamped on my forehead. Let me share a few other examples:

• Formed by God, chosen, set apart (Jeremiah 1:5)

• Known by God, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139)

• Loved by God (John 3:16-17)

• The handiwork of God (Ephesians 2:10)

• Holy (2 Timothy 1:9)

• Forgiven, redeemed, rich (Ephesians 1:7)

Beauty rises again when we learn to ask God to begin peeling off the negative labels you have allowed into your life and start putting on the whole armor of God by reading His Word. May I suggest starting in The Psalms?

Are you wanting to start off the New Year right by joining a Ladies Bible Study group but worry about the time commitment? Join our ladies ONLINE each Tuesday night on Facebook at 7:30 p.m. CST as we learn how God can break our chains of brokenness and sculpt our lives into something beautiful.