Hey Friends –
High school was not nice to me.
Although there a few fun memories – cheering for the freshmen basketball team, our zany psychology class, late-afternoon lunch runs with my good buddy Chuck – I’m glad I never have to go back to those four agonizing years again. Ever.
Mostly my adolescent days were filled with intense loneliness, rejection, straining to fit in, and a bottomless longing to be acknowledged and accepted.
I’ll never forget the day I thought I finally was on my way to recognition. A fellow classmate shared that she saw something written about me in the girl’s bathroom. Really? Me? I ran to the south side of the building as quickly as my clog-wearing feet would take me. I couldn’t wait to read what someone had taken the time to share publicly and proudly about me!
I pulled open the heavy wooden door and scanned the chipped bathroom stall’s exterior. Then I spotted the seven words that would shape my life for the next two decades…
“Cindy Stille is a fat red cow.”
And on that dreadful day those seven words attached to me like a sticky, descriptive name tag.
As the years went on, I may have appeared happy and self-confident on the outside. But beneath the cheery smile and bubbly personality, was an insecure and injured young woman meticulously attempting to cover up the pain, and striving to protect herself from ever being hurt or teased…again.
I wonder if you can relate? What labels have attached to you?
- Not good enough.
- Clumsy.
- Stupid.
- Good for nothing.
- Lazy.
- Ugly.
- Fat.
- Not wanted.
“Labels are awful. They imprison us in categories that are hard to escape. Those labels start out as little threads of self-dissatisfaction but ultimately weave together into a straitjacket of self-condemnation“. – Lysa Terkeurst
Thankfully in 1996 I met Jesus (recap here). He says I am….
- Accepted.
- Beautiful – regardless of the size of my thighs.
- Chosen.
- Dearly Loved.
- Enough.
In Christ, we have new, Truth-filled, life-giving labels to wear.
This week I have the opportunity to join Jeri Howe and her remarkable round table discussion to talk about “the principle of positive thinking”. Throughout the four sessions which will be aired this week, I’ll be sharing my journey.
Yep, all of it.
The teasing. The false name tags. The self-destructive choices. The pain.
But also…the Truth. The victory. And the simple, practictical steps that I apply to my life TODAY so that I can experience VICTORY and TRUTH in my everyday, ordinary, mostly mundane life.
I’d love it if you could join us. You can listen live at 11 AM EST this week Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday OR listen by podcast at your convenience (details here).
Friend, what label are you wearing today?
May we all “think about what we are thinking about” and make sure we are walking about in TRUTH. On this day, I’m choosing to put on CALLED.
How about you? Please share what label of Truth YOU are putting on!
Thanks for stopping by *She Sparkles*! May your day be filled with lots of laughter, love and life-giving labels!
Sweet blessings-
P.S. Join us tomorrow for a super fun giveaway! I’ll be sharing a wonderful tool that has really helped me on this journey from defeated thinking to freedom!
P.P.S. LInking up with my real life friend Jen Ferguson and her wonderfu Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood link up party!
Jen & Cindy – June 2012
This was absolutely wonderful…spot-on. I’m sharing it with my daughter right away! Blessings.
I can so relate Cindy! For me, the middle-school years were especially hard. So thankful that now I can hang onto the labels–God’s daughter. Precious in His eyes!
Powerful testimony, Cindy! I really hurt for the girl who ran into that bathroom so eagerly…
Oh, that we could all get away from those negative stickers others have placed on us, and accept the true labels that Christ claims as truly us. Thanks for sharing this piece of your story.
🙂 today? i can say that my name tag says, beloved. it’s been a journey to get here….
Thank you for sharing your story. This resonated with me deeply. So thankful for my God who loves me through and through when this world knocks me down.
Oh, I remember the hurtful words – I am learning how to see myself as the Father sees me – He sees me beautiful, filled with gifts He placed within me – I wished I had parents give me that message growing up – but Shaddai – He found me, He told me – and it changed my life:) Thank you for sharing your story, the hurtful words – so glad you found His message, too!
I tried my hardest to fly under the radar for my whole high school career because I was afraid I’d be labelled “loser” and “not good enough”. Today my label is “beloved.” I much prefer that – and I don’t have to hide for it, either! 🙂
Can so relate to this Cindy….I was called Rover when I was in school because it rhymed with Stover my last name. I didn’t run to the bathroom to see what they wrote but I ran to the bathroom to throw up after they gave me a dog kiss…saying it was a homemade chocolate kiss. But today I wear the label Child of the King and proud of it. So thankful that I made that choice!
I hope I am not going to spam today. WordPress sometimes doesn’t like me. Yesterday, my label read “failure.” It was a hard day of writing and parenting. But, I am grateful for NEW mercies every morning. And today, I’m back to just being “His.”