The _____ One

Which one are you? Come on, you know that when you were little, your parents referred to you as "the shy one," or "the stubborn one." Maybe you were "the cute one," or the "fussy one."

Whichever one you were, that label probably stuck, until you got married. Then you started living your own life, and creating new labels for yourself. You became "the tidy one," or "the dependable one" in your marriage.

Which one am I? Well, let's take a look at the labels I wear.

The ORGANIZED one. Everyone looks at my house, my car, my desk and says that it's insane that everything is at right angles, color coded and put together. If I wasn't the organized one, life would fall apart around me.

The SMART one. This started as a kid. But people saw my grade card and labeled me as smart. What they didn't see, because I didn't show them, is that I WASN'T/AM NOT smart. I WORK HARD. I study, I read, I make myself learn. It doesn't come easy. I'm not gifted, I'm just...

The DETERMINED one. I'm determined to understand it. To prove it wrong. To make it work. To get it right. TO WIN.

The COMPETITIVE one. I was never in sports. But that doesn't mean I'm not competitive. I wanted to get the best grades, be the first chair in music, be the drum major, get the most 1's at state music contest. Now, I want to punch the hardest, lose the most weight, have the best paint color...whatever it is. I don't go crazy, and it's more a competition with myself than with other people, because competitive or not, I'm can't stop being....

The SUPPORTIVE one. I make it a mission to support my kids, husband, family, friends, colleagues, work-out partners - whoever - to reach their goals. What kind of person would I be otherwise?! I thrive off of other people's success. I rejoice in their highs, and bring them up from their lows (at least I try to). It comes along with the territory of being...

The STRONG one. Literally and figuratively. I'm a pretty tough cookies. I'm pretty sure no one would want to approach me in a dark alley. And when the chips are down, I'm usually the one that can pick them up and put them back together somehow. They may not be in exactly the same order, but I usually succeed. I hold my family together in hard times. I am the voice of reason. That usually means that when no one is looking, I'm...

The TIRED one. The mental and physical fatigue that I carry on a day to day basis is something that only my husband really understands. The stress of caring for a sick child, having sick parents, an aging and more dependent grandma, a husband who HATES his job, a very demanding job of my own, the stress involved with having extended-family challenges, bills, medical bills, more bills....it's overwhelming. The only way to make it is to be...

The FAITHFUL one. I lean on the Lord my God to the point where it must feel like He's just gotta fall right over. I lean HARD. I lean NONSTOP. I rejoice knowing the good days are because of Him, and getting through the hard days are possible with Him.

What labels do you wear? Which ones have you made for yourself, or do you just let others slap the labels on you and you assume them? What labels have you given your spouse? Your children? Are they labels that are REAL, or just ones that you are passing down?