I thought Monday was going to be a good day . . . and not only because I made the perfect cup of coffee.
The sun was shining (like every other day here) and I may or may not have been blaring a hit song by Carly Rae Jepsen in my car on my way to work. And then all of a sudden I look in my rearview mirror and the woman in the car behind me is waving a certain finger at me. Her face also looked pretty unhappy so I think it’s safe to say she was really, really mad at me.
“Awesome,” I thought.
“I’m a terrible driver. I can’t do anything right. Clearly, I’m worthless and nothing is going to go right today.”
Whaaaa . . . what? That was a quick sneak attack from the mean half of my mind, huh? Where did those thoughts come from? Does this ever happen to you? Do you hear things like this in your head too?
Things Like…
You’re not good enough.
Just give up. Stop caring.
Everyone else is better than you.
Nothing is ever going to work out for you.
Everything is your fault.
You suck at life.
There’s no meaning in this life.
You can’t be forgiven, there’s no hope for you.
You better not fail; you have to be perfect.
No one cares about you.
You were a mistake.
It hurts doesn’t it? You have to recognize these are negative and destructive thoughts and stop them immediately. Whether it’s from someone else, your own head, or spiritual attack, it’s in your power to say, “No. This is not from God and I will not believe it. I choose to live in the truth.”
I mean really, what’s the point? Why keep thinking these things and allow them to tear you down? Is it to wallow in self-pity and feel bad for yourself? To get attention? To have an excuse to listen to sad or angry music? Or because you just feel like it must be true?
What God Says About You
Our feelings and emotions are supposed to be subject to our mind and our reason – not the opposite. (Check out Romans 12:2 yo!)
Now I’ve never seen a burning bush or heard God’s voice but I do have this beautiful love letter from Him. God is love, and this is what He says:
“You are enough because I created you. You were not a mistake, I have been in love with the idea of you for all eternity (Jeremiah 1:5). I see your efforts; I know your heart (Psalms 139:1-2).
Don’t give up, but let Me be your strength. Lean on Me, give Me your burdens and I will give you peace and happiness. (Matthew 11:28) Whatever you’ve done, I will never turn my back on you; my arms are always open. I can never stop loving you (Luke 15:11-32). You are always in the palm of my hand. Your life is my concern, make Me your goal and be not afraid (Matthew 14:27).”
How would your life be different if you repeated these kinds of truths to yourself instead of hearing those negative ones? I can’t guarantee you’ll have an endless number of good days. That’s not possible.
However . . . I know that when I tell myself the truths that God says, instead of the lies, then even when someone tries to tear me down (or flips me off) I won’t fall apart thinking, “I’m a terrible person.” No. I’ll say instead, “It’s okay. I make mistakes but God still loves and forgives me.”
What will you say to yourself?
I’m praying for you.
