What's In A Name?

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But is that really true. I used to watch a show called "How Do I Look?". The premise of the show was to take individuals and perform a clothing intervention. Usually it was performed on women who felt their choice of dress was just fine even though everyone else in their lives were telling them they needed to change. Not their personality just how they dressed. I remember one episode in particular where a young lady wanted to open a non-profit to help teenage girls in trouble. Her choice of dress included a short, short mini-skirt, and a lingerie top. She was given the opportunity to present her idea to a group of potential investors, they couldn't see her but they could hear her. Everyone in the room wanted to give her money. They were enthusiastic about her idea and wanted to help her... until they saw her.

Once they saw her their perception of who she was changed. They no longer saw her as someone trustworthy. Nothing about her passion for the girls changed. Her voice didn't change and neither did her personality. The only difference was now they could see her. Every day people are placing labels and their own agendas on us. And every day whether we acknowledge it or not, we allow it to happen. Even in the bible there were labels placed on women. The woman brought to the feet of Jesus was called an adulterer but let's not forget that she wasn't in bed alone. Joseph was afraid of how Mary would be received because she was pregnant and not yet married.

Labels are a part of our world but what labels are we taking on? Powerful, talented, strong, empowered. Those are the labels we should wear proudly and with honor like a badge of courage but instead we wear labels such as weak, timid, restrained, thoughtless. Each day we walk into our physical closet and pick out our clothes for the day. We do the same thing in our emotional closet but we do it without really knowing. It's not a conscience effort. And we try our best to hide it. But it shows.

It shows in how we walk down the street. It shows in how we carry on a conversation. It shows by the company we choose to keep. And it shows in the decisions that we make. People will go out of their way to buy brand names because of the association to that brand. It makes them feel good to say they own a PS2 or a pair of Jordan's. Are people going out of their way to associate themselves with you?

Does your label have your signature or the signature of others? I had to realize that my label was the signature of others. I've allowed someone else to design, shape, sew and create my label. But not anymore. My label will forever say "Melissa Holley-Child Of God. Through Him All Things Are Possible".

What will yours say?