Our labels keep us safe
They help us identify those who are out to get us
The murderers
The thieves
The lazy
The contagious
The insulting
They give us confidence that we know people
They give us peace knowing we aren’t like them
They give us common ground to fight the same enemy
Your only label is grace
Can’t earn it, can’t sell it, can’t hide it
You want to keep us safe, and have offered to
You died so that we could have life together, not apart
You invite us into your house on one condition
We drop our labels
We walk in the same door as those we’ve labeled
We lose all confidence in ourselves
We lose all peace in oppression
We love our enemies
We accept the invitation, but we need help
We still feel like strangers at times, and not fellow citizens
We certainly don’t feel at home
But you are doing the forming and building, not us
Help us remember whose house we are in
Help us remember that you are the host
Help us remember that grace is the only label you go by
And that we are all labeled with it