Labels

DateLine (7/27/06 – Pearl River, NY)

I attended a high school football factory in a sports crazed small town. From the 1950s through the 1990s there were very few high schools in the entire country that could match the winning record of Woodruff High School. As successful as the present day Byrnes High School Rebels are they have only equaled the four consecutive state high school championships that Woodruff earned in the late 1970s. The coach, “Willie” Varner, was a legend locally, regionally, and nationally. He is known for setting high expectations and motivating student athletics to over achieve. There’s where I pick up the story.

I was not athletically inclined when I entered high school in 1969, hence I was not involved in one of the favorite pastimes of the city. But I was subjected to the high standards and motivational tactics of Coach Varner. This was back in the day when Physical Education was a required component of the school curriculum. I was surprised to find during the first day of PE that we would not immediately purchase the mandatory PE uniform, which was a common practice at most “normal” school.

We would first complete a series of personal assessment events, based on the President’s Physical Fitness Standard, and be given a grade level score based on our performance. Some would receive A’s, some B’s, some C’s, some D’s, some E’s and some F’s. Now here’s the Woodruff twist. At the conclusion of this evaluation we would procure a PE uniform which prominently displayed our letter grade on the shorts. And oh by the way, each letter grade had a uniquely colored pair of shorts.

Let me cut to the chase. The best that my late blooming physique could earn for me was a D on my evaluation. I was “privileged” to be able to purchase a brand new PE uniform with gorgeous muddy brown shorts with a huge letter D emblazoned on the leg. Can you imagine my joy? Not only was I an athletic underachiever in a land of over achievers I had the joy of being publicly labeled as such. Unfortunately I “lost” my cherished brown shorts after just a few weeks and happened to “find” a more acceptable pair of maroon C shorts. That wasn’t so bad, there were lots of C shorts; average you know.

What does this have to do with Christianity? Labels are hard to shake, crippling caricatures, often reinforcing negative stereotypes. Labels can be undeserved or over used, and often reflect narrow characterizations of people, who are complex creations and reflections of God’s glory. God has only two labels; P for potential child and C for child. We are not assessed before acquiring our label, it is our choice. Our label is not dependent upon our performance but His performance and it is already complete; He passed with flying colors. He could have applied S for sinner, or L for lost, but He didn’t. In God’s economy we don’t get what we deserved we get what he earned.

I never had the privilege of celebrating a state championship on the revered football field at Woodruff, but I have experienced the joy of being welcomed into the family of God. And one day I will enter the gates of the biggest, loudest, arena of champions that has ever been prepared. I will run through the glorious gates and I won’t be wearing no muddy brown shorts. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” 1 John 3:1. Now that’s a label I won’t mind wearing.