I recently had a conversation with a new friend who called me one of the nicest people she has ever met. I laughed and said she didn’t know me very well and she replied with this: “I knew you would do that. I just knew you were going to find a way to self deprecate. For someone who is so nice to everybody else, why can’t you be nice to yourself?”
I was speechless.
This girl I barely knew called me on my crap.
And she was right.
Why am I so hard on myself?
Why do I self deprecate?
Why can’t I accept a compliment without deflecting?
I read passages of scripture like Proverbs 18:21: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit…” and I try to apply this passage of scripture to my life whenever I speak to my kids, to my husband, my neighbors, to strangers at the grocery store, yet, why do I continuously talk down to myself?
I read passages of scripture like Mark 12:31: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and I truly try to live my life focused on doing just that – loving my neighbors. Yet, there are two more words to that passage of scripture that I continuously fail to embrace: as yourself.
Proverbs 12:18 spells out one of the best uses of the tongue. “The tongue of the wise brings healing…” so I can’t help but wonder how much more of God’s love and healing I would experience if I chose to speak to myself the way Christ speaks to me.
I throw the same challenge out to you this morning.
How much more of God’s love and healing would and could you experience if you chose to speak to yourself the way Christ sees you and loves you?
You are not useless… or un-useable…. or boring… or ordinary… or damaged… or unforgivable… or worthless…. or broken… or, or, or….
You are perfect in all your imperfections and you are enough.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. You can speak life to yourself, or you can speak death. Speak life!
