Being Human

Have you ever been labeled? How does it feel?

The truth is all of us have been labeled since the day we were born. One of the first labels you wore was the name your parents passed on to you when they gave you your name, their legacy. Maybe you've succeeded in breaking away from your family name and your parents legacy, but along the way you've picked up thousands of new labels.

Some labels are easier to wear than others, but they all draw lines that confine who we are and seldom can we all agree on the definitions that come with the labels. Like it or not, labels hurt almost as much as they inform.

So, who am I? I can only tell you about the labels I wear. I am:

a Christian
caring
city-dweller
honest
loving
patient
kind
pastor
father
husband
son
brother
friend
mentor
disciple
sinner
saint
worrier
leader
athlete
artist
builder
thinker
planner
dreamer
maximiser
acheiver
stratigist
learner
relator
human

And that's just the short list. You'll never know me from these labels, but I wear them all. Some of them you share with me. Some you despise. Some you aspire to. But one label stands out to me. We are all human. There is some common ground there.

In His Grip,
Dan