We like labels. Labels are helpful. Labels are needful.

We go to the store and the products are neatly packed with an eye-catching label that just so happens to have precise information of exactly what we will find inside. All of our questions about said product are easily answered. 

“How much? How many? What is it made of? What does it taste like? What will it do?”  

So many questions yet so many answers, cleanly and neatly printed right on the outside of the box.

Once again, this is great. Labels are helpful. Labels are needful.

The problem arises when we try to use the same labeling system used for products on people. This usually starts in middle school and becomes more prevalent in high school. 

“This girl wears all black and listens to metal, so we know what label to stick on her. Oh, and this guy, quarterback of the football team, that’s easy, stick the “jock” label on him. Hey, while we’re at it print a couple for those “band nerds” over there.”

I wish I could say this kind of thinking stops in high school, but unfortunately, it sometimes gets even worse. We find even more labels to stick on people so we can write them off and discount their opinion. Labels based on things like socioeconomical status, political party, and perhaps worst of all, church affiliation.

Why do I say “worst of all”? Because Jesus never intended for there to be divisions within His body. He came to unify, to break down barriers. 

But we like barriers, don’t we? Just like we like labels. It keeps everything neat and clean on the inside. So we build them; Baptist, Church of Christ, Presbyterian, and the list goes on and on and on. But it doesn’t stop there, because we realize that everybody within our neat little package doesn’t exactly conform to the label. 

So what’s the solution? More division of course.

Let’s look at Baptist for instance. There is the Southern Baptist Convention, Independent Fundamental Baptists, Primitive Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Reformed Baptists, and many, many more. Then even more barriers are created over things like soteriology, eschatology, worship style, and anything else people can disagree on.

With these walls or barriers come labels. People are ostracized and even “canceled” because they are “one of them”. Just like in middle school when little Sally didn’t get invited to her friend's birthday party because Sally was in group B and Sally’s friend was afraid of what her other friends in group A would think if she invited her.

How do we fix this? How do we start breaking these barriers down? I certainly don’t presume to have the solution, but I think I know a good place to start.

Maybe we begin with realizing that a human being is far more nuanced and intricate than any amount of information that a label can contain? Perhaps we could at least consider that the person on the other side of that barrier had a different upbringing than you, has had different life experiences than you, and is likely carrying and dealing with things that you have no knowledge of? Maybe there are reasons this person dresses that way or thinks that way.

At the very least could we open our minds to the fact that behind all of our preconceived notions is a living, breathing, human being. A human being who has feelings and ideas, and one in which you may find you have more in common with than you thought, that is, if you would allow them the benefit of a listening ear and an understanding heart.

***The use of the terms “jock” and “band nerds” above was certainly not intended to be hurtful towards anyone, this is just an accurate depiction of the thought process in my particular high school, and I thought it appropriate to include it to illustrate how ignorant and hurtful stereotyping can be.***

God bless!