Reason #576
I know I've probably written a hundred posts about words by now. Words are so powerful, at least for me they are. My mom shared this crazy statistic one time that it takes like 10 positive words to repair the damage of 1 negative word. I may not have that exactly right, but it's a pretty drastic ratio. And so it makes you really stop and think before you speak. And like we've heard from a young age, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.
I struggle with words, with saying and hearing them. With holding on to the wrong ones and craving encouraging ones. And I find when I am feeling low, when I'm struggling and feeling insecure, I desire to hear encouraging words more than ever. Because at those moments, words come into my mind. Words that have been said to me before, words that the enemy whispers into my ear. Words that I have a hard time not believing. And so I just want someone to speak good things over me, to me. I just want someone to say, "Brittnye, you're doing well. You are not those things, you are other things, better things. You are (insert positive word)." And so I feel like I need to seek these words out from other people. I need to hear them out loud because then maybe I'll believe them. If someone else says them to me, that means they are true. And unfortunately, I think a lot of us have this mindset.
I think encouragement is important. In fact, Hebrews 10 tells us that we should encourage one another. Truth be told, there are a lot of discouraging factors in this world, and those are the ones that tend to get the most attention. In today's culture, failure is more noticed than success. We like to point out weaknesses rather than strengths. And so we believe the negative because we have a hard time forgetting it.
I drove to church this morning really struggling with words. Mostly, words I believe about myself. It's no secret that I deal with insecurity. I struggle with thinking I'll never be enough. I struggle with thinking I'll never get it right. And, like I said a few days ago, I struggle with thinking that if I could just be less like me, things would be better. And so I find that I speak these words to myself. No one is flat out saying them to me, but because of words I've held on to over time, I remind myself of the negative things that were said. And, if you tell yourself over and over that you are one thing, the effect is usually that you become that very thing.
A song came on the radio, as you all know is so often the case, about words. I just praise the Lord that He always takes time to meet with me one on one and pour out encouragement and truth into my life. Because He sent His Son to bind up broken hearts and crushed spirits, and He is still in that same business. And so the perfect words began to play through the speakers in my car. The comfort I so desperately needed.
"You can heal the heartache. Speak over the fear. God your voice is the only thing we need to hear."
We forget to listen for His words. The world is shouting at us, creating fear with negative accusations. Lies meant to tear down, to defeat. Lies that try to overcome, but God speaks over that. No matter how harsh the words are, how often they are said or were said, God can heal the heartache associated with them. We don't have to carry around those words, allowing them to weigh us down. Ultimately, God is the only one we need to hear. Because when we listen for God's voice, we find words that bring peace and healing. We hear truth and God would never tell us anything about ourselves that we didn't need to hear.
And so I'm grateful for a God whose gentle whispers are powerful enough to drown out the accusing shouts. A God who doesn't look at us and focus on the negativity. A God who didn't come to condemn us and point out our flaws and weaknesses, but rather, sent His Son to bear the weight of those things on our behalf. He is a God who looks at us and sees the good, the one who put it there, and the who will bring that out in us. And God who believes good things about His children, and who will always speak to us words that bring abundant life.
#576 - Because He heals the heartache and speaks over the fear.
"Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it." - Psalm 34:12-14
I struggle with words, with saying and hearing them. With holding on to the wrong ones and craving encouraging ones. And I find when I am feeling low, when I'm struggling and feeling insecure, I desire to hear encouraging words more than ever. Because at those moments, words come into my mind. Words that have been said to me before, words that the enemy whispers into my ear. Words that I have a hard time not believing. And so I just want someone to speak good things over me, to me. I just want someone to say, "Brittnye, you're doing well. You are not those things, you are other things, better things. You are (insert positive word)." And so I feel like I need to seek these words out from other people. I need to hear them out loud because then maybe I'll believe them. If someone else says them to me, that means they are true. And unfortunately, I think a lot of us have this mindset.
I think encouragement is important. In fact, Hebrews 10 tells us that we should encourage one another. Truth be told, there are a lot of discouraging factors in this world, and those are the ones that tend to get the most attention. In today's culture, failure is more noticed than success. We like to point out weaknesses rather than strengths. And so we believe the negative because we have a hard time forgetting it.
I drove to church this morning really struggling with words. Mostly, words I believe about myself. It's no secret that I deal with insecurity. I struggle with thinking I'll never be enough. I struggle with thinking I'll never get it right. And, like I said a few days ago, I struggle with thinking that if I could just be less like me, things would be better. And so I find that I speak these words to myself. No one is flat out saying them to me, but because of words I've held on to over time, I remind myself of the negative things that were said. And, if you tell yourself over and over that you are one thing, the effect is usually that you become that very thing.
A song came on the radio, as you all know is so often the case, about words. I just praise the Lord that He always takes time to meet with me one on one and pour out encouragement and truth into my life. Because He sent His Son to bind up broken hearts and crushed spirits, and He is still in that same business. And so the perfect words began to play through the speakers in my car. The comfort I so desperately needed.
"You can heal the heartache. Speak over the fear. God your voice is the only thing we need to hear."
We forget to listen for His words. The world is shouting at us, creating fear with negative accusations. Lies meant to tear down, to defeat. Lies that try to overcome, but God speaks over that. No matter how harsh the words are, how often they are said or were said, God can heal the heartache associated with them. We don't have to carry around those words, allowing them to weigh us down. Ultimately, God is the only one we need to hear. Because when we listen for God's voice, we find words that bring peace and healing. We hear truth and God would never tell us anything about ourselves that we didn't need to hear.
And so I'm grateful for a God whose gentle whispers are powerful enough to drown out the accusing shouts. A God who doesn't look at us and focus on the negativity. A God who didn't come to condemn us and point out our flaws and weaknesses, but rather, sent His Son to bear the weight of those things on our behalf. He is a God who looks at us and sees the good, the one who put it there, and the who will bring that out in us. And God who believes good things about His children, and who will always speak to us words that bring abundant life.
#576 - Because He heals the heartache and speaks over the fear.
"Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it." - Psalm 34:12-14
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