Goof Off!
Dan Kunz
After spending thirty-three years in classrooms all the way from fifth grade to twelfth grade, one product I’m very familiar with is something called, Goof Off. It’s a cleaning product which removes almost anything that kids can put on desks, walls, or any other surface in a school. It will remove ink, wax, or sticker residue. That last use is still helpful to me, even though I’m no longer in a classroom. It seems manufacturers take an almost gleeful approach to attaching labels to their products! Have you ever bought a product and spent hours trying to get the label or glue off? I’m sure that same glue is what holds skyscrapers together!
You’re probably aware of the labels which are applied to everyone in America today. It seems we are all (take your pick) racists, misogynists, homophobes, tree huggers, anarchists, progressives, conservatives, etc., etc., etc. If someone wants to attack you, labels are a handy way to do that. If you’ve seen any of the protest coverage on TV lately, or follow any media, online or off, you’ll see and hear labels used by the dozens. Although labels are many times used to attack or demean people, occasionally they’re used in a positive way. Most people would think being a benefactor, a mentor, or a freedom-fighter, is a good thing. Of course, the problem is all the “baggage” which a label brings. Depending on one’s viewpoint, being a freedom-fighter may be good or bad.
Fortunately for us, God uses labels, too. His favorite one is “child of God”. Whether your other labels are justified or not, whether they’re accurate or not, or whether you accept them or not, being a child of the Heavenly Father is one we can all agree is the most important, hands down. As a matter of fact, it’s really the only label that matters. I John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God! And that is what we are! When Jesus urged the disciples to allow the little children to come to him, he wasn’t just honoring a particular age group, he was honoring anyone who has childlike faith, innocent, trusting, and confident. Hopefully, that is a description of our faith and is why being a child of God is our best label!
No matter what your labels on earth, deserved or not, accepted or not, complimentary or not, God applies his spiritual Goof Off, the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, to remove every single label that you wear except the only one that matters, Child of God. If you love to re-purpose objects, you know the routine. You find a treasure, bring it home, and scrub the rust and dirt off. It’s an act of love to bring that object back to life. God is the greatest “re-purposer” in the universe. He actively seeks out all of us, conceived in sin and lost to him forever. He makes us part of his family through baptism. He scrubs the rust, dirt, and labels off us to make us his own. He re-purposes us for work in his kingdom on earth and applies the label that makes us his for eternity – Child of God!