Label Maker

When I was a kid I had a label maker,

they were all the rage.

Did you have one?

Those plastic things that you put the roll into,

turned the dial and punched in the word you wanted one letter at a time.

Then you peeled the back off and stuck them all over your stuff.

I had forgotten about that thing until this morning. 

I was thinking about how we give names/labels to things in our lives.

We name our kids, our pets (ok, not me but other people do).

But we also name the things that happen to us.

We lose our job and we name it "UNFAIR."

Our kid gets sick and we name it "DESPAIR."

We look at the mess of our lives and name it

"HOPELESS"

"IMPOSSIBLE."

We base those names on the things that we can see;

based on the small part of the story that we know.

So, if all we can see of a situation is the "BAD"

then that's what we name it.

No wonder most of us are sitting around wringing our hands and crying all the time.

(yes, me included)

BUT GOD!

What does God call those situations?

I read this morning that HE calls them "GOOD."

What????? Good??????

yep :) 

HE names it all good.

Why?

Because HE sees it all.

HIS view is not restricted like ours is.

HE knew about every situation before it ever got to us

(and HE allowed it).

HE sees the beginning and the end.

HE knows why and how.

HE is behind the scene working it out.

HE is bringing order from chaos.

HE is making good what was intended for evil. 

HE brings beauty from ashes.

So next time, let's pause before we label something. 

Ask HIM to show you the GOOD. 

I believe that HE will.

Let HIM be the LABEL MAKER!