The labels we get

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,
to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.
Live such good lives among the pagans that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong,
they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
(1 Peter 2:11-12, NIVUK)

In my previous blog I wrote about the labels we so easily give people in order to make our world a little less complicated. But the flipside is also relevant: we get given labels by those around us, and there is no way of controlling what those labels are. Or is there?
 
On the one hand we can’t control others’ prejudices or evaluation benchmarks (often grounded in years and decades’ worth of reinforcement). On the other hand, Peter gives us a clear and simple objective that isn’t (or shouldn’t be) influenced by what others think of us.
 
We (who follow Christ) should do good and live good lives. We should live as if how we live matters, because it does. It matters because we are essentially a reflection of God’s love and power to those around us.
 
I love how Peter draws the focus away from the labels we are given (however good or bad they may be) to what really matters: bringing glory to God. In other words, our lives should be lived in such a way that whatever the labels we are given, God will be seen and known to be worthy of praise. In other words, we should wear the label that shows what (or Who) lives inside us.
 
Here's a question to ponder: Is God’s love in my life reflected in what I do and how I do it?
 
A prayer - Lord Jesus, you have shown us how to live well; to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with you. Help me to do this in such a way that you will be glorified. Amen.

Photo by Helena Hertz on Unsplash