Bad Label Erased

She was ten years old. Her parents were landlords, one of the “five bads,” marked by the government for punishment. Her parents were sent for re-education to the countryside, split up and sent to different places. So, her grandparents raised her. She was a good kid; fair, kind, helpful, compassionate and hardworking. She was also the top student in her class. The day came to elect a class monitor and her fellow students unanimously voted for her. But her teacher said “she is not suitable, ” which they knew meant that she was one of the five bads. Though she was the top student, she was not allowed to attend the best high school or the best college because of her label. Neighbors and students were free to curse or spit or even beat her without cause and no one except her own family would protect her. She lived her whole life in fear, even as an adult, afraid they would treat her badly once they knew her label. She prayed, accusing those who marked her family and sent her parents away, accusing the teacher who shamed her in front of the class, accusing those classmates and neighbors who belittled her with their words and ignored her good character and hard work. When she prayed, she was that little girl again, weeping and crying out to her Heavenly Father, pouring out her hurt and anger as she accused the wrongdoers. When she finished holding them accountable for their wrongs against her, she asked her Heavenly Father to do justice for her, letting Him decide how and when their sin would be paid. She trusted Him enough to take care of it for her, so she chose to forgive them, it wasn’t her issue anymore, she released them from her court, releasing them into God’s court instead. Then she prayed and rejected the label, asking God to break its power so she could just be who He made her be, no longer controlled by this evil label. Finally, she prayed and asked Her Heavenly Father to bind up the memories and the emotions tied to those memories, the shame and anger and hurt, so that the memory could not hurt her anymore. God did what she asked and for the first time since she was ten, she was free from fear of others. PRAISE GOD!

-Mike Banker 2016