The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18
It’s easy to agree that the words of others can greatly damage our feelings of self worth. They pierce our very being. But has it ever crossed your mind that perhaps the words you say to yourself are just as deadly?
I am not a good mom. I’m a failure of a wife. My house is a pig sty and my dinner is always overcooked. I’m fat and I never look good in my clothes. All of my friends just use me and my kids laugh behind my back.
Ok, maybe that is taking it a bit too far, but can you relate at all? Do you find that you are your own worst enemy?
In college, I read about a study where researchers took a kitten from it’s mom at birth and put it in the chicken coop. The goal was to see if the kitten would assimilate to “chicken life” or not. The result? Shockingly, it did. The kitten would walk around pecking at the ground and eating grain. It believed that it was a chicken.
After my precious friend called me out on some negative self talk yesterday, I remembered the chicken lesson. If I believe that I am a chicken, I will think, talk and behave like a chicken. I am what I think I am. My ability is directly correlated to my belief. If I believe I am a daughter of the King, I will think, talk and behave like a daughter of the King.
This truth isn’t just found in God’s word. It is also supported by numerous studies.
According to Mayo Clinic, positive self-talk and thoughts has many great benefits:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress
- Greater resistance to the common cold
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
I hope you didn’t miss the second half of that verse. But the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Prov 12:18) My words have the power to MAKE or BREAK me. I can choose piercing or healing. The choice seems obvious.
It’s time to think, talk, and behave like a daughter of the King.
Join the conversation~
Do you struggle with negative talk or thoughts about yourself? What can we do to change the way we talk to ourselves?
Did you get your copy of The Good Wife’s Guide? Don’t miss this great book. You can read more about it in my review here.
Congratulations to our winners:
Entry #22 Lauren P.
Entry #188 Peiwen L.
Linking with Growing Home and Domestically Divine
Kim Sorgius
Kim is just a girl, crazy in love with Jesus. She's a single mother of 4, a passionate homeschooler and life-long student. After teaching 8 years in public school, she traded her M.A. in Early Childhood for sippy cups and homeschool co-ops. Kim is the owner and editor of The Homeschool Village and Not Consumed where she encourages others to rest victoriously in the hands of God, rather than allowing life's difficult circumstances to consume.
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I have thought that way for over 40 years. Your examples are just the tip of the iceburg for me. I have not been able to break the cycle. Does this book help?
I don’t know that I would say that this book is full of tips for helping battle with negative self-talk. When I wrote the review on the book, a lot of women responded back and said that they hoped to win the book because they felt like failures as mothers/wives. It just prompted me to think more about the words that we say to ourselves.
Personally, I have found scripture to be the only effective weapon in battling issues with my thoughts. When I begin thinking negative thoughts, I simply stop and claim a scripture that proves otherwise. I’ve got notebooks full of such scriptures, but sometimes I still have to look them up. It works though. I find that there is less time to bash myself when I am looking up scripture that proves to the contrary.
Praying for you, friend. I know that through God we can have victory over these feelings of self-defeat.
This is such a great share Kim! Our minds are such powerful tools! I daily have to ask God to renew it and set it right again for a new day! -Blessings, Amy
God says in His word that as a man thinks in His heart so he will be. I pray and memorize scripture on who God says I am. There is so much in His word, isn’t there!! He’s so amazing.
Thank you for sharing and linking up to Domestically Divine. So good to meet you.
He is absolutely amazing! I have enjoyed reading your blog for many years. Thanks for visiting!
I came to the post thinking it was about fear.
This is better. It’s the second recent post I’ve read on how the battle is going on in our minds. “But why should that mean it isn’t real?” – Albus Dumbledore. That line just only occurred to me now. It’s true. Satan is raging the battle in our minds to take us further.