There are So many things pulling our eyes away from where they should be! Last night I was compelled to look at labels, labels we give each other, labels we give ourselves, labels that sell our products, labels that set us apart, and labels that bind us together. I decided last night that I HATE, loathe, and am absolutely disgusted with categorizing things. Why can't we all just take life as it is without the need to fit it in some compartment, make sense of it, etc. etc.? Is it human nature to HAVE to understand something in order to give it value? Is is human nature to prioritize things into our petty little categories? Why can't life just be an ongoing festival, a celebration, a harvest of gratitude-whatever comes our way, why can we not just say, "wow, thank you, life," I'm so glad for this or that today, no matter how it FEELS? Why are we polarized toward picking things apart, having to understand EVERYTHING. Last night, I decided, it's REALLY okay to NOT understand SOME things. Last night, I decided it's really OKAY to soak in the moment and just BE, engaged, 100% BE a part of that moment, whether it be anger flowing through me, peace "like a river," or passion toward something just burning me up. Do I learn my lessons from whatever I am experiencing though? That IS the question? Do I learn to enjoy life more and stress less? Do I learn to proactively plan NOT to engage in some moments in the future? Why can't we trust God for the exact place and time that we're in, right then, EACH moment? It has been said in Romans 8:38-39: "38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Who the hey are we to JUDGE the quality of our own experiences and those placed in our lives? Who are we but to be thankful for any of the things we are allowed to experience? Does this mean I enjoy being in debt? Does this mean I enjoy being ill? Does this mean I enjoy my child being labeled as part of the special education program to get what he needs? Does this mean I have to be a Democrat or Republican to have a conscience? Does this mean I have to be from a certain part of the country, world, income bracket, etc. to be loved by Jesus? You CAN'T put God in a box, and you can't contain HIS LOVE. You can't put impossibility in the same sentence as God. You can't even really define or label TRUTH until God has dealt with your head as well as your heart. Who are we to do Anything but Love and be grateful, even if we are sick, tired, pissed off, floating on air? Who are we to label Anyone or Anything? Who are we that we are even ABLE to receive so much Love? I can label LIFE, I can enjoy LIFE, I can hate LIFE, but WHY Bother labeling it anymore-isn't THAT FREEDOM? I've decided that some things in life just don't need labels, and that Some things in life you cannot even use WORDS to express how awful or unimaginable, or indescribable, or how AMAZING, an experience is. And trust me, I'm a woman of words...Sometimes, just sharing LIFE, being REAL with someone can help you make sense of it, even in the tiniest, most minute way, to move with it, to move in it, and most importantly, to move past it. Why hold onto our precious little labels for things? Why not just enjoy life as it comes, the good, the bad, the ugly, the pitiful, the disgusting, the elating, the AWESOME? But there's no reason to be in the moment Alone. God gave us each other to walk Through life together, and to keep our focus on the things Ahead. If you think what's happening today sucks, wait until tomorrow! If you think what's happening today is incredible, just wait until tomorrow! Take today as it comes, "come what may," and keep singing about "tomorrow." You know I may have learned everything I needed to know when I was eight years old if I'm thinking "ANNIE." It's cheezy (there's a label...) but true. Simplicity lies in how tightly we hold our realities, how stubborn we hold onto our expectations, how loosely we hold onto what we Perceive IS possible in reality. Today, choose to be real and dream the impossible, for NOTHING is impossible with God, and God is NO respecter of labels. Thank God! For I don't have anything to sell, but I DO have a lot of labels to erase and stop reviewing today. Keep your eyes on the prize, not what you SEE. Seeing is NOT believing when it comes to living w/joy instead of burden...I choose to live w/the help of my friends, day to day, moment-by-moment, and to be still, be ALIVE, but be Assured, I don't Need a label to be held in the REALITY I choose. Today, I choose to STOP labeling and start BELIEVING-in what I CAN'T see. Down with labels that hold us and burden us: AUTISM, CANCER, WOMAN, MAN, ALZHEIMER'S, MS, "SLOW," "DEPRESSED," "SAVED", "BORN AGAIN," DEMOCRAT,REPUBLICAN, RICH, POOR, STUDENT, MASTER, DOCTOR, INMATE, PROSTITUTE, DEADBEAT, ALCOHOLIC, OVERWEIGHT, PRADA, HOLLYWOOD, JEW, AGNOSTIC, IDIOTIC-today, choose to LOVE and LET things go. Lose your life, lose your labels, and you will find: peace, love, joy, the impossible in the palm of not YOUR own hand, but HIS. Here's to the dreamers of this world, and for those who keep us company along the way! Dream Big, and let God keep the dreams coming, for the reality of it all is waaay beyond comprehension anyway... Praise Jesus!
