51. The Next Saul: Why We Need to Stop Labeling People

In a world quick to label people, it's easy to form opinions without ever knowing someone's story.

In this episode, Vona Johnson reflects on the subtle ways we categorize others — and invites us to pause. What if we trusted Jesus with what we don't understand, and chose to see people, not categories? Drawing on the transformation of Saul into Paul, she explores how faith can change the way we see others — and ourselves.

A gentle call to slow down, question the narratives we absorb, and choose love over labels in a divided world.

Because we never know when the person in front of us might be the next Saul… waiting for the moment God uses to change everything.

Keep living your MORE with courage—your best season may just be beginning.

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Transcript

Speaker 0:00

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to form an opinion about someone before you've ever really known them? Sometimes it happens in a moment, a headline, a post, a label, and suddenly we feel like we understand who someone is. I don't understand the kind of hatred we see in the world today. I can't relate to wanting to write off an entire group of people. But that doesn't mean I'm immune to the quieter versions of it, the subtle ways we categorize, assume, and distance ourselves from people we've never taken the time to truly see. And that's what I want to talk about today. Because if we're going to finish well, if we're going to live the more God has called us to, we have to be willing to look at this honestly.

Speaker 2 0:43

Do you fear what lies beyond retirement? What if it's a gateway to a life filled with purpose, meaning, and adventure rather than an end? Discover peace and fulfillment as you boldly enter this new chapter in Courageous Retirement, a Christian podcast. I'm your host, author, and coach, Vona Johnson. Let's get started.

Speaker 1:01

I came across something recently that really made me pause. It was a post from someone I've known, maybe not a close friend, but someone I've stayed loosely connected with over the years. And the post said, essentially, If you still follow MAGA, let me know so I can unfriend you." Now, I'll be honest, it bothered me. Not just because of the statement itself, It was the idea of reducing people to a label, of deciding who belongs and who doesn't, without really knowing the individual. As I sat with that, I realized something. It's easy to see division out there. It's much harder and more important to recognize the subtle ways it can take root in us. Because I may not post something like that. But are there places where I quietly categorize people? Where I make assumptions? Where I decide, even subtly, who's in and who's out? And that led me back to the story of Haman in the Book of Esther. Haman didn't start with a plan to destroy an entire people group. He started with offense, with wounded pride. And instead of dealing with that, he expanded it. He turned one man into a whole category, and that category into an enemy. And if we're not careful, we can follow that same pattern in much quieter ways. But here's what struck me even more deeply recently in one of my morning devotionals. Sometimes we grab onto narratives about people, about groups, about the world, because they give us a sense of certainty. They tell us who's right, who's wrong, who's safe, and who's not. But the truth is, we were never promised that kind of certainty. What we are given is something far better, a relationship with Jesus. We don't need to know the future, and we don't need to have every person figured out. If we stay close to Jesus, He will guide us one step at a time. And when we live that way, something changes. We don't have to label people so quickly. We don't have to rely on someone else's narrative. We can slow down and actually see the person in front of us. And that reminds me of something I often say. We never know when the person in front of us is the next Saul, waiting for that one thing that will convert him to be a Paul. In the Acts of the Apostles, Saul was a man who persecuted Christians. If anyone used labels to the extreme, it was Saul. And yet, God transformed him into Paul, one of the most influential voices of the early church. No one saw that coming, except God. So what if the person we're tempted to dismiss, that person we think we've already figured out because of what they follow or believe, is someone God is still working on? What if the way we respond to them matters more than we realize? Jesus said to love our neighbor, not just the ones we understand. Not just the ones we agree with, but the person right in front of us. And maybe, just maybe, finishing well isn't about having everything figured out. Maybe it's about staying close enough to Jesus that we can love people well, walk in truth, and trust Him with everything else. That's the kind of life I want to live in this season, and I have a feeling it's the kind of life you want too. So here's what I'm holding on to today. I don't need to have everyone figured out. I don't need a narrative to tell me what to think about entire groups of people, and I don't need certainty about the future. What I do need is to stay close to Jesus. Because when I do, He guides me one step at a time. He softens my heart, and He helps me see people the way He sees them. And He reminds me that I never know when that person in front of me is the next Saul, waiting for that moment that could change everything. I don't want to miss that moment because I was too quick to label someone. So as you go about your day, maybe just carry this with you. Pause before you label, lean in before you assume, and trust God enough to love the person right in front of you. That might just be part of what it means to finish well. I wanna thank you for stopping by today. I'll see you right back here in two weeks. Until then, keep living your more with courage, and remember, your best season may just be beginning.