The Label That Lasts

Sunday’s message reminded us that we can be empowered to live above the labels of the enemy, our heritage, or our past. God’s grace does not reach back and change the beginning of our story; rather, He will meet us in the present and change the ending. Jabez was handed down a label he did not choose. Yet when the time comes to impart a label upon his children, what he gives looks nothing like what he was given. He was given sorrow. He passed down honor.

Scripture doesn’t elaborate on his journey between the two. It probably wasn’t as simple as going from point A to point B.

Perhaps after he overcame the label of Sorrow, he had to battle Discouragement. Maybe his victory over that label was followed by a wrestling match with Obscurity. The specifics of his journey are unknown to us. All we know is that he fought through the labels until they were worth passing down. The label that lasts is the one we end with. The label that lasts is our legacy.

Jabez, of all people, knew the pain of being handed a label that had to be overcome. So he gave his children a label that could be built upon.

Jabez’s life preaches to us that the label that lasts is the one we don’t fight through. God’s grace is enough, and He is still victorious in every battle He is invited to fight. Not only can we outlive the label, but the story of what God brought us through can be our legacy.

Are we comfortable with what defines us today, being the legacy we leave? We may not have chosen the label, but we choose the legacy. For our church and our homes, may we seek God’s strength to rise above the label, and leave a legacy.