Tag me.

      Ugly thoughts.          God’s thoughts

Now, I don’t mean “tagging” as in mentioning someone in your group picture on Instagram, or referencing someone in your latest tweet, I mean judging, or placing a label.

This was a late-night thought that I had to think out in a post, because It’s something others should think out as well.

My generation is so quick to put a label on something, based on what it looks like. Even Christian young people can fall into that trap. I have to take a step back, and wonder if I do the same thing. It’s so easy to do, and most times, we do it without thinking. I certainly hope I don’t, because I wouldn’t want someone basing my worth on my appearance.

We’re human, and judge the outward appearance way too quickly.

“She’s fat”, “He’s too scrawny”, “She has acne”, “they’re not smart enough”.

The list can go on and on, because we have no end to the imperfections we can find in others. There will always be someone who will find a fault in one’s appearance, attitude, and even lifestyle. Those kind of thoughts are so easily expressed behind the security of a screen and the mask of social media, and can cause so much damage to a person.

But the sad thing is, we don’t even need others to do the tagging. We tag ourselves based on what we see every day in the mirror.

“…for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

I thank my lucky stars that God didn’t label me based on the what the world can see.

You may tag yourself as “ugly,” but God says “lovely.” You may think of yourself as “too fat, gross, not good enough“ but God sees “wonderfully made.” “No talent.” … but God sees “Able to be used.”

No matter what we think of ourselves, God’s thinking is based on what He sees inside. He tags our hearts. In the rest of the verse above, God rejects another of David’s brothers as king of Israel, even though Samuel thought, surely this is he. But no. God anointed David, the youngest of Jesse’s sons, the shepherd, to rule as king over the nation of Israel. Not even Jesse expected David to be chosen, but he was, because he was a man after God’s own heart.

It’s a hard thing to do, and it’s something that probably won’t happen over night, but we need to make an effort to stop tagging; ourselves and others. We need to stop labeling ourselves as not good enough, not pretty enough, or not smart enough. It shouldn’t matter what the world labels me as, I’m a child of the King.

So tag me, God. Look at my heart and tag it. Let me be used for your glory.