I’m struggling with something.
Labels used to be so useful to me. I could categorize people based on what I knew of them. That allowed me to know what they stood for, what I liked/disliked about them, and most importantly… it provided me the benefit of a standard response to "that label."
Here’s the thing: As the world has gotten smaller, people now have many more labels that apply to them and at the same time, a label’s meaning has changed.
In my mind, things that used to seem terrible I can tolerate now. And things I used to like drive me insane. The problem with labeling people is that it isn’t fair since people aren’t static labels… they are fluid. People change their minds all the time.
Moreover, I hate getting labeled and this has forced me to intentionally stop labeling and categorizing people. (Which in effect, devalued their person hood as they ceased being a person and I just saw them as a being to be labeled.) 
Being in a "public job" has led to me getting a lot of labels. Some examples: In some circles, I am a crazy conservative. In others, a wacky liberal. In some I am brilliant and in others I’m "just a youth pastor." In some circles I’m labeled a cynic who hates everything while in others I’m labeled as having the gift of encouragement. In some circles I’m wildly creative while in others I’m labeled as only having bad ideas. To some people, I am loving and to others I don’t notice them. To some I’m labeled as polite, while in others I’m labeled conceited. Am I schizophrenic or a chronic hypocrite?
Nah, I don’t think so. I think it just proves my point about labeling. I’m a human being. As I think of my life I see myself being all of those things. As Mike Yaconelli was fond of saying, "We’re all really messy."
I’m a mess. I fight the labels in my own life, and I’m starting to hate myself for labeling people. I’ll label myself… "I’m a messed up guy… a good kid, with a lot of problems." I need Jesus as much today as any other day.
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