Real love believes the best of others. This looks like trust, honor and giving the benefit of the doubt when someone’s actions are out of line with who we know them to be.
I know I love when someone chooses to believe good things about me. However, I have found one person that is not willing to believe the best of me all the time: ME! If I do actually believe that there are good and beautiful things about me shouldnt my words attest to that? Maybe these sound familiar:
I’m Fat . . .I’m ugly . . .I’m tired . . .I’m a bad mom . . .I’m not a good wifeI can’t . . .I’m slow at . . .I’m not good at . . .I’ll never get that right. . .I don’t have anything valuable to contribute . . .Things never work out for me. . .I’m sure we could all spend the rest of the day thinking of the horrible things we say and believe about ourselves.
I recently read about an experiment done by Masaru Emoto. He put rice into three glass 
bowls and covered them with water. To the first, he said, “Thank You” every day for a month. To the second he said, “You’re an idiot.” And the third jar of rice he completely ignored. After one month the “Thank You” rice fermented and gave off a lovely aroma. The jar of rice that was told “You’re an idiot” turned black. The rice that was ignored was rotting.
Our thoughts and words are powerful forces. Thoughts become beliefs. Thoughts that are in line with truth will guard our lives and create a flourishing, life-filled atmosphere. Thoughts that are consistently negative, blaming, accusing, and name-calling are deadly poisons slowly killing us and creating a putrid environment where no hopes, dreams, or people can flourish.
Beliefs become values that we shape into words. Words have the power to influence every area of our life, and the lives of those around us.
Jesus commanded us to “love your neighbor as yourself,” and unfortunately – many people are doing just that. They do not love or value themselves. The horrible things they said about you may be just the tip of the iceberg of what they are saying about themselves. If we are going to find out what Love looks like – we must first receive God’s love. We must accept that we are lovable.
Here is the experiment:
Will you join me, for the next thirty days, in speaking life and love to yourself at least once a day? Let’s rewire the habits of negativity, doubt, fear, and shame. Let’s create lives of power, beauty, strength, and grace. Here is a list to get you started.
I am fearfully and wonderfully made.I am more than able.I can do all things through Christ.I am lovely (beautiful, handsome, a stud-muffin, etc).I am of great worth and value.I am smart.I am strong.I am capable.I am loved and lovable.Thank You.I am kind.I am __________________.I don’t usually go for something like this. Let’s be honest – it’s sort of cheesy. But I believe in the power of words, and I have been called out by God, and my husband recently about how I talk about myself. I am thankful to be confronted with this, yet shocked that so many lies about me are coming from my very own lips. Words create realities – and I want to make sure that my reality is all that God says it can be.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Psalms 34:13
If this is also a struggle for you – then know that God can give you the power to change not just what you say, but why you say it. The hurt, the doubt, the fear that is at the root of the way you speak to, or about yourself can be revealed, and healed by God!
From the fruit of his lips a man is filled with good things as surely as the work of his hands rewards him. Proverbs 12:14
What will you be speaking over your life this month? Please share so that others can be encouraged, too!
