Nobody Holds a Candle to You; Labels are Just Labels

 

                                                                                                                        

                                                             Image by: Eileen Seefluth, Creative Writer

                                                  

                                                                       

                                  Unlabeled Image by: Eileen Seefluth

I see the thick of Christmas is here where we have 10 days left until we begin truly celebrating Christ.

The beautiful trees are lit, packages underneath (so we hope) with labels, not all the same ready to be

 opened at Christmas parties everywhere.

At the moment, we want to camp on the word "labels," and how we can peel those off people. Some

people do carry labels on themselves with sticky stuff on the back to make them stick for a long time.

Have you ever purchased an item with a label, and the label was too hard to tear off? It does happen. 

So annoying! It does not look pretty.

What does look pretty is a cleaned surface. The person wearing no label. The label can be

 discouragement where it has been given "permission" to settle and clobber the person for a time.

When faced with a domestic abuse situation, that is discouraging. Fighting your way out of it is as

 trying to find you way out of a paper bag! Does that even exist? 

People use those for bagging groceries or placing small items to carry as you know, but they also use

 them to breathe into and calm down. Domestic abuse does take its toll, and it takes more than money to

 cross the fiery road ahead. It takes your will, choice, and courage to move into great action, flinging

 every label of discouragement, disappointment, disgrace, discomfort, guilt, assault, wounding, and

 more off you (or someone you know). It is not easy.

But, along with grit and might, and encouragement, you have this!

I have seen some women take as little as 6 months to a year to make a vast difference in their lives

and get their parties started again where they are not inundated with unattractive labels, they have

dumped the load off and moved to higher ground. It is in the will. It is the courage to move higher, the 

want and burning desire. We know everything is about choice. It does take making a decision. A quick

decision as lighting a match, yes, that quick to move forward and not weary in the dross and chaff 

and sit in the feces of it all.

As you take the time in the quiet of it all, receiving instructions in the quiet,

you will find a roadmap in the peace and calm to catapult forward. Your directions are waiting for you.

For me, it did not take 6 months to a year to move forward against domestic abuse, it took so much

longer, as birth pangs birthing a new future for myself. 

You can only imagine a deer from Montana, then in the midst of iciness on the East coast, talk about

a deer in headlights not knowing where to go, at a loss with tears dripping. That's where I was.

Tears would drip every day for a while, and they did not stop until one day they did. I was surely 

thinking, it's about time!

In addition, I do remember once standing on a busy street, my tire was flat, with no spare, and it was a

 cold day. I thought, what was I going to do? Then, some stranger came by, and just like that, my tire

 was changed and the stranger was gone in a flash of a second! No joke. I was stoked, mystified, and

 grateful all at the same time. You can bet I drive prepared, especially in the cold weather.

Speaking of cooler weather, which is now what we are feeling and right for this time of year, especially 

in Oklahoma where we have the goofiest weather, people are stocking up their pantries for sudden

snow or ice storms. 

While grocery shopping, picking up canned goods, those labels sometimes are slightly peeled off. I 

don't know about you all, but I do rip them off if they look like that. It is just bothersome to see the can

looking half done.

Encouragement for today, peel your labels off (loneliness, sadness, discouragement, frustration, grief,

guilt, whatever it might be), give them all to the Lord, and receive His peace and healing, His comfort,

and grace, all the good things from Him who is in heaven and resides within you! I hope

you will begin to dance again, feel like a Christmas party or two or three, and know the value and worth

that you hold because nobody could hold a candle to you!

                                                                                                                   

Women Empowerment Solutions, Inc.

Empowering Women Against Domestic Abuse