3 Words that Define Us

Caucasian. Hispanic. African-American. Asian. Other ________________.

Other? (insert confused emoji face here)

Confession: I am 33 years old and, to this day, I wonder if I fill this box in correctly. I was born in the United States. I only speak English, though I like to think my Spanish vocabulary is decent. My mom has blonde hair and blue eyes and grew up in the South. But fun fact: my dad is actually from Lebanon. Dear fellow Tennessee friends, I’m talking about the country, not the home of the outlet mall. Can you tell I get this a lot? I honestly wonder when I circle in that “Caucasian” bubble, if I’m a fraud. I don’t know the correct term to write down on that blank “other” line. Who do I even ask?

It seems our world is full of bubbles and check boxes. But which one(s) really define us?

Work Related Boxes:

Employed. Unemployed. Self-Employed. Homemaker. For the love, can we get a more modern name for the last one, please? I don’t know whether to think of June Cleaver or Bob the Builder. Side note: Mrs. Cleaver, we have upgraded to yoga pants and dry shampoo these days. It is wonderful. Necklace and heels optional, but mostly saved up for occasional date nights with the hubs.

Relationship Status Boxes:

Single. Married. Divorced. Widowed.

Level of Education Boxes:

High School Diploma. Some College. Associates. Bachelors. Masters. Doctorate.

Such tiny bubbles can hold such power if we let them.

What are the ones that trigger something inside of you? Maybe some come with a sense of pride? Maybe some arouse sadness or shame? Then there are those few that can possibly pose confusion… that “other” box?

Some of these boxes may be a small, but mighty reminder of a season of life we are not so thrilled to be in.

• Maybe you are the unemployed, who was laid off unexpectedly, but are in desperate search of a job.
• Maybe you are a single sister who is longing to check off that box “married”.
• Or maybe you are a rockstar homemaker, but walking around with spit up stains and dark circles under your eyes, leaves you feeling anything but a rockstar.

I’ve been able to check off several of these boxes over time. Maybe I’ll be able to say I checked off two in the ethnicity category.. wouldn’t THAT throw them for a loop?

But here is what I believe, and what I hope you find peace and absolute assurance in.

These categories, these boxes, these bubbles… they may be traits about you that come and go (okay, maybe not the ethnicity one like me) but that’s the thing. They mostly change. Therefore, they do not define who you are. Or your worth. Or what you are capable of in life.

So what are the ones that do, you ask?

Chosen. Check!

Worthy. Check!

Enough. Check!

Adored. Check!

These are all made possible because of the one bubble that does define you. The one that comes before these three words: Child of God.

Now that is a bubble that will never change. You can fall in and out of ANY of the bubbles listed earlier, but this one will always compliment those.

This box is not an “either/or”. It is an “and”.

We can’t earn it, which is so freeing. And it always feels good to fill in. I hope you know, friend, that circle is not just for me or a select group. It is for you, just as you are, reading this today.

So next time you are faced with filling in some boxes about yourself, I pray you will make a mental note of the one that matters most.