Labeled, part two.

What does God label me? According to Him, I am many things. I am loved. Forgiven and chosen. Accepted. An heir to the Kingdom. Friend. Lost then Found. Free.

And so often, none of these are what I feel. There is a disconnect between what I KNOW to be true, and what I FEEL. We all have that, don’t we--especially in the transitions of life. Funny how after we graduate from college we think we’re finished with transitions, but life’s really one long transition, isn’t it?  I have a dear friend who has lived life with me through many transitions. She and I would often talk about what it means to live fully when you’re not sure what’s coming next. We’d talk about living fully when things aren’t working out the way you thought they would, the way you wanted them to, the way you hoped they would. And I’d call and ask, “How is everything going?” Her answer, “Hard, but good.”

Hard, but good. I love that answer, because it gives me the freedom to answer in kind. Yes, I know that God has blessed me. I am incredibly blessed. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, wonderful supportive family, plenty of food, a warm house, good friends. But just because I have all those doesn’t mean that I don't still feel dissatisfied sometimes. And it’s not that I’m not happy with what I have…it’s that I am dissatisfied with my own dissatisfaction.

What does living life look like when we are real about what God labels us? It means that we are confident in His vision of us. It means that we get to the point where we don’t need a label. When we live life under God’s labels, we don’t need to look to the next big thing. We can live confidently in the hard, but good, places of life. We can be honest that God is getting us to where we need to be.

Who am I? I am God’s.

So to quote Hillsong,

I’ll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned, 

In awe of the One who gave it all…

I’ll stand, my Soul, Lord, to you surrendered. 

All I am is Yours.