Our words affect us whether we realize it or not. We are often reminded to treat others with kindness, but I believe that it is also as important to treat ourselves with the same amount of kindness especially in the words that we use to describe ourselves.
Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Every time we open our mouths, we are given the option to speak death or to speak life; the option to speak with positivity or negativity. Not only do we have the choice of whether to speak death or life, according to the second half of the verse, we will also eat the fruit of what our words produce. Therefore, if our words are filled with hope, kindness and love, we will enjoy the fruit of these characteristics in our lives. However, if our words are filled with hatred, anger, and bitterness, we will unfortunately bear those characteristics in our life as well.
I challenge you to take the time to pay close attention to the words that you speak. I did recently and to my dismay, I figured out that I had been speaking death over my own life without even realizing it. I always used to say I wasn't good enough. I'm not sure where the thought originated from, but because I wasn't secure in who I was as a person, I held onto this dangerous lie until it became my truth. You see, the more you say something, the more you believe it to be true. I told myself that I wasn't good enough so many times that I honestly believed with all my heart that I wouldn't amount to anything.
Every time I made a mistake and every time I faced rejection only seemed to validate this lie even more. It's crazy how miserable we can make ourselves by believing something that isn't even true! I thank God that my eyes have been opened so that I am able to see how self destructive my thoughts and words were, but my heart breaks knowing that there are still so many people out there enslaved by the lies they tell themselves. In a society that thrives off insecurity, inherently, negative self-talk has become almost second nature to many of us.
I can't do this. I'm not pretty enough. I'm not smart enough. I don't look like this person. I'm not valuable. I'll never make it through this.
If any of you have said similar phrases about yourself, I want you to know today that you are good enough. You are strong, beautiful and brave. You have been created for a special purpose on this earth. Even if you may not be where you want to be in life, each day is a fresh opportunity to get closer to your goals. You're going to make it!
It starts with one fact. I realized that I am good enough. However, just because I realized I was good enough, it didn't mean that I automatically believed that I was. I am still in the process of unlearning the negative ways that I saw myself. The only way to destroy a lie is by exposing it to the truth. Every time I feel like saying I am not good enough, I stop myself and change my words to "I am good enough. I may not be perfect, but every day I try the best I can to be the best that I can" even when I don't entirely feel like I am.
Sometimes I only need to say this only once throughout day, but other times it may take 50 times for me to get it in my head. If negative self talk has become a problem for you, finally realizing how amazing you are probably won't happen over night. You must be patiently determined to overpower the negative thoughts in you head. Self love takes holding on for dear life what you know to be true about yourself even when circumstances or feelings try to tell you otherwise.
You deserve to walk in love, happiness, and peace. Make the decision today to speak life, not death, and little by little, you will see your life start to change. I'm rooting for you.
With Love,
Bee
