In a world full of words, both uplifting and crushing, I want to encourage you to start preaching to yourself.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. – Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
It is important to consider the words we speak to and over others. Being aware of what we are saying, why we are saying it, and to whom can be a great practice in the awareness of the overflow of our hearts, but it shouldn’t be our only consideration.
There is one person, besides the triune God that has been with you your entire life, a person that you will interact with every single day, and that’s you!
You have lived your entire life with you, and no matter how much longer you live, you will continue to be with you. As preparation for speaking to others, start speaking to yourself. Practice speaking words of grace, kindness, gentleness, love, wisdom and truth over your own life and situation. Become an expert at loving yourself the way God loves you. Get in the 10,000 hours it takes to be great at any one thing, and invest it in speaking to yourself like Christ would, and practice those hard earned skills on the people around you.
Personally, I find I am significantly more loving, patient and kind with the people around me than I am with myself. But what if I spoke to myself as lovingly as I do with others?
There is a chance, though currently untested, that if I spoke to myself more kindly, more in line with the truth of God, that the people around me would experience a level of grace and love from me that I was simply incapable of providing before.
I want to challenge you, challenge me, to assess how you speak to yourself and start making a shift. In Isaiah 41:10 God says to fear not, He promises He will be with you. So today, step out in faith, love yourself well, and report back to me on how speaking to yourself like God would affects the people in your sphere.
Karla