The Labels We Carry

A devotional for Monday

Acts 11:9
“Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

Labels help us make sense of the world. We group people quickly. Sometimes within seconds. We decide who is like us, who isn’t, who feels safe, who feels difficult, who belongs, and who doesn’t. Some labels are harmless. Others become walls. By the time Peter received his vision, generations of categories had shaped how he saw people. To Peter, avoiding Gentiles felt faithful. But God interrupted what Peter thought was obvious. God challenged not Peter’s desire to obey, but his assumptions about where God was working. That’s uncomfortable because many of us sincerely believe our categories are correct. Yet Scripture repeatedly shows us a God who moves beyond our expectations. Jesus crossed boundaries constantly. He saw people before labels. The Spirit still does that work today. Following Jesus means allowing Him to reshape not just what we believe but how we see.

Question/Challenge:
Who have you reduced to a label instead of seeing as a person made in God’s image?