Have you ever deemed someone impossible of becoming one of your friends before you even took the chance to get to know them? Have you ever celebrated getting a higher grade on the test than the smart kid? Have you ever resented the popular girl because she is just too perfect- her hair too straight, her teeth too white, her friends too numerous?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, I am right there with you.

So often we look to others to measure our own success, our own beauty, our own worth. No! Stop! Why?! Not only do we give power to the lies of our minds that say we are not good, pretty, or smart enough, but we also put a label on those around us, which keeps us from getting to know someone as they really are.

We have all been labeled. Think about it. You are the athlete, the nerd, the holy one, the popular one, the happy one. If you are like me, whether your label is positive or negative, it makes you feel trapped and incapable of following your passions or sharing the truth of who you are with your friends and possibly even with your family. It is like how Troy Bolton had to hide the fact that he was going to perform in the musical with Gabriella solely because he was the basketball star, even if he loved singing. It absolutely sucks! So please tell me why we keep placing labels on each other?

Look at it this way. The girl you said would never become your friend is now your best friend of ten years and the only one of many people in your life that said, “I’ll always be here for you.” and actually stayed, through every up and down. The smart kid got a lower grade on the test that day because she was up all night taking care of her sick mother and did not have a chance to study. And that popular girl who is just too perfect? She is not happy. She hates her body, and although she gets approval from all the boys at school, all she wants is approval from her mother and father.

When we accept these labels, we do not take the opportunity to listen to others’ stories. There is always more than what we see on the surface, and we should take the time to look deeper. There may be a smile on her face, but do you see the pain in her eyes?

Stop settling for superficiality in your relationships. It is the things that are below the surface that will connect you to someone else. It is those things that will allow you to use your gifts and talents to truly reach out to someone in need. It is those things you never thought anyone else could ever relate to that you will find in those that are right in front of you.

There is much more to someone than the label you put on them, and there is much more to you, too. Open your eyes, open your ears, open your heart, and share your story.