i am not a can of soup
All of us know that one guy from high school. He may have been the football hero, the party animal, the class clown or the ladies’ man. Years have past since my high school days, and what fascinates me is that in the minds of many I am still that guy (I will let you choose which one I was from the above list). Why is it that people are so quickly and permanently labeled?
The labels that are given us are rarely if ever undone. I have found that because they are so quickly given they are rarely assigned correctly. I have a friend who is rather mild-mannered and easy going. There was a time in his life when he had a lot going on. One of his best-buddies had just died, he had lost his job, he was having major marital troubles and spiritually his life was in disarray. One day he was with a few friends playing golf. Like so many of us, he played terribly. On the eighteenth hole he finally had it. He snapped his putter over his knee. He said several words that had four-letters and one other that rhymes with Byron Leftwich. His finale was a flawless hammer style throw of his putter just before he walked off the green, leaving his clubs and driving away.
He became known as a hot-head. This was the first and only time I have ever seen him lose his temper. It was followed with sincere apologies to all present. However, many who were there told others about it. As others were told I could see the label being applied. He was a can of soup to them. He was labeled. Six years later he still cannot undo it.
What is wrong with us? Honestly if people followed me for ten minutes or less at different parts of my life they would call me everything from a righteous man to a pagan. The problem is once they labeled me it would stick. My friend Tim in Ohio is experiencing this in his church in unheard of ways. His pastor confessed sin to the Board of Elders over a year ago. The pastor has been run out of town. He has been labeled a false teacher, a cult leader, a sex addict and other horrible things. He will never live it down.
I look at this and I am glad that God does not operate in our world. What would he have to label all of us? I know that if he labeled me I would be dead. Literally. He would have killed me for the way I profaned his name throughout my life. He doesn’t however. Jesus took those labels to the cross. He was mocked remember. He had labels posted above his head. When people saw the labels they laughed and applied more. They applied more as theirs were being removed.
Jesus took the labels and said no more. He told us that we could find a new name. In him we could find a new spirit. So if you are reading this I ask one thing of you “Stop.” Could you please not label people anymore. It is so dehumanizing. The next time you want to give the scoop on someone by doing the soup can thing … stop. Compose yourself and say “She is the image of God.” It is hard to gossip about people when you have to start by calling them the image of God. Suddenly it sounds like we are speaking evil about God himself. As for me I know that all men and women are more than soup cans.