If you follow me on social media then you know that I am kind of obsessed with hashtags. Because I’m “not right” as my friend Terry jokingly tells me, I use hashtags for humor. However, hashtags were developed to label Tweets into different categories. For example, you attend a wedding and post pictures on social media taken at the wedding. When you post them you “hashtag” them (putting a pound sign followed by the label) and then you can search by that hashtag to see all pictures posted and hashtagged with the same hashtag. So…if you search #mcbridewedding then all the pictures that folks hashtagged #mcbridewedding will appear.
A couple of weeks I was texting a person that is helping me in my home. I asked her what time she and her partner would be coming to my house the next day. She replied “8 a.m.” I texted back and asked her if it would be possible to come a little later because my kids were going to be out of school the next day and…well…they are teenagers. Asking them to get up before 8 in the morning on a non-school day is like asking them to hang up their towel after they use it. Ain’t. Gonna. Happen. After I asked for a later time I immediately received a text back that said “FAT LADY WANTS A LATER TIME.” Obviously, she meant for this to go to her partner and not to me. She screwed up.
“Fat lady wants a later time.” You might as well have hogtied me to the back of truck and pulled me down a gravel road. I was hurt. It knocked the breath out of me. I have known this person for years. Now I knew the truth of what she thought about me. Ouch. For a couple of days (ok, 4 or 5 days) I let myself feel the pain of being called a name. It took me straight back to elementary school when Eric Kloans called me fat (big meanyhead…I bet he has a beer belly now). Ennywho, when I got back up and caught my breath, I learned a thing or two.
Labels (or hashtags) for people are often damaging. We let ourselves be defined by them and carry them around. Even labels that are positive are not necessarily good for us. Say people label you as #smart? Everyone wants you on their team at El Guadalajara’s trivia night because you will help them win. But what if you don’t know the size of a baby kangaroo at birth and your team loses the free tacos for a month? You feel responsible.
And then there are labels that we have carried around for a long time…some for a REALLY long time…and we let them define us.
#failure
#weird
#stupid
#fat
#unlovable
#ugly
#promiscuous
#trashy
#divorced
#disappointment
#unwanted
#clumsy
#used
#addict
#needy
We all have them. One of the labels I struggle with the most is #fat. If you have known me for more than a couple of days, you know that I struggle with my weight. I pretty much came out of the womb that way. So when I was referred to as “the fat lady” it was like the scarlet letter “F” for me.
The quickest way to lose sight in regards to what God says about me is to become focused on what others say about me. We all care way too much about what others think and say about us. This is true for me too.
Instead of letting others define me, I decided to look and see what God says about me. Who better to define us than the One who made us? He is the only one who should hashtag us. Here are some truths I was reminded of:
• He says that we are his #beloved. That means we are greatly loved and dear to God’s heart.
• Deuteronomy 7:6 says “For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. #chosen #treasured
• 1 John 3:1…”How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” #chosen #adopted
• Ephesians 1:4 “…”God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he made us holy in his eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before him covered with his love.” We are #holy #blameless
I don’t have my stuff together. I’m thankful I don’t have to. Labels will wear us out. I am reminded of Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. I am choosing to rest in the things God calls me.
#beloved
#treasured
#chosen
#adopted
#holy
#blameless
#accepted
#beautiful
#included
#redefined
What about you?
Beautifully said #friend !
Thank you Kayce! You get an award for figuring out how to comment on here! Everyone else is commenting on social media. XOXO
The old saying that sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me, never had hurtful words hurled at them. Memories from childhood can bubble up throughout our lives. Amy, you are precious!
Love this! Thank you and thank you!!!! You are #awesome
Amy you have no idea how many times you have made me laugh until I have cried reading your facebook posts. My husband and kids now know who “Amy” is on Facebook because I talk about how you just make my day! I am excited to be able to follow your blog. Loved this…BEAUTIFULLY written!
Amy, I knew the first time I met you that I wanted to be your friend! You are so dang funny, and it is cool to learn that you are equally as insightful as you are funny. I don't normally read blogs, but I decided to read yours because you are YOU!
Hi Amy, this is great! I can't wait to show my dtg when she wakes up. She is in middle school and is really struggling. Thank you for being you.
Love this.
Amy, I was hesitant to click on your link because I was like, “first time blogger, yada, yada, yada”. Shame on me. I absolutely love your FB and Instagram so I should have been eagerly clicking over here. Your post HIT ME over the head. Love your honesty. I've been there so many times too. What a joy it was reading this today. I am going to share it on my page. xoxox Dana- The other Fat Lady 🙂
Amy,
Well, God chose YOU to say it and say it best. Well done!
For a quarter of a century my heart has ached and then spirit burned when a parent has come to me with an “official report” which has given their child a “LABEL” of Learning Disability. This has especially been troublesome because it is the brightest and most gifted children who seem to acquire these labels. Why is this so? C. S. Lewis would no doubt in his Screw tape Letters attribute it to one answer and we know what that is. The great deceiver distorts the truth. It is the same as your brilliant hash tag concept and revelation of our new tech culture. You rose above it, Amy! Thank you for so brilliantly allowing God to use your amazing gifts of writing, humor and intellect to deflect what the enemy failed to attack. I look forward to reading more!!! Much love, ~ Lucy Karen Clay
You are so right! Thank you Miz Terri! Love you!
#thankyoufriend!!
Awwww! Thank you SO very much!!!! Life is hard…everybody needs to laugh more! I'm glad I can be a part of that:) Thanks a bunch for commenting.
Peggy!!!!! You are dear! you still in your regular place at the flea market?? I haven't been in a couple of months. what to see your loot! Thanks for your kind words. XO
That makes my heart happy! Thanks Amy!
Hugs to you! Thanks!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DANA! How sweet of you! (You crack me up!!! #moretolove!!!!)
Lucy!!! You are really dear! Thank you so much for your words. I know you see this firsthand when you love on the kids that come to your office. I know you impact their lives so much. Miss you! XO
Amy,
This is exactly what I needed to hear/read today. Thank you so much for blessing me in so many ways and so much more than you will ever know. xxoo ~marie
This made me cry!! Needed this today. Thank you so much for sharing your heart with us!! Beautiful.
This is great! My wife has shared w me some of your witty Facebook posts. I am glad you have decided to start a blog as I don't do FB. Blogs are much more to my liking. Will look forward to dropping by here often.
Hope you fired them, in a nice way of course….you are so insightful and have a lot of worthy knowledge. We all carry our painful labels. Thank you for reminding me of the “labels” that God has for me…I needed that! You are awesome!