Hello, My Name Is ____

So. They call you the nerd. The chick who wears Star Wars t-shirts and dies her hair blue and reads more than she talks. The one who writes fanfic and gets straight A's and dreams of otherworldly ideas. 

They call you the athlete. The one who is devoted to her team, who never changes out of her jersey, who is loud and competitive. The one who is on a diet and spends her free time in the gym and flunked math but that's okay because you're future is on the field. 

They call you the diva. The one who has more makeup brushes than could actually be useful, who always lends clothes to people because who wouldn't want to dress like you? The one who has tried every drink at Starbucks and doesn't eat carbs and looks cute in every Snapchat filter. 

They call you the "funny one". The one who has a quick wit and a sweet smile, the one who couldn't possibly have any personal problems because she just jokes and laughs 24/7. 


Well. What if the nerd can throw a perfect spiral. 

What if the athlete wears makeup. 

What if the diva likes pizza. 

What if the "funny one" cries herself to sleep each night. 

What then? society asks. How do we label them now? 

You don't. 

Know why? 

Because you are so much more than the name tag pinned to your shirt. You are so much more than your perfect three-pointer, your favorite makeup brand, your hair color, your style, your playlist, your job. People try to make these things into labels, making it a big deal to pin a word to someone's forehead and saying, this, this is what you are. 

So what are you? 

I'm ____. 

Don't fill in that blank. That blank can't capture what you are, what you do, where you've been, the things you go through each day, what makes you smile, laugh, cry. YOU'RE COMPLEX. You, reading this, are such a complex being, and it's amazing! You're a child of God, and He made you to be this way! He made you, and you are pleasing to Him. YOU please the Father of the universe. 

Labels are painful. Don't attach labels to something so complex and beautiful as yourself. You have so much to offer the world, more than what fits into that blank. 

So go spread the love of God today. Because He made us in His Holy Image, but not everyone knows that. Go share the good news.