Listen Up

I heard something the other day. Golly Gee Wiz, I know, but your sarcasm aside, it was a pretty good something. "You know its the enemy telling you stuff if he talks in second person. 'You are dumb' 'You deserve the way he is treating you.'" That just never occurred to me, because I talk to myself the same way, "You are never going to get this" "You look terrible". It's like I'm being mean to someone else that way. Because it is one thing to be hateful to someone else. That is no good, but to be mean to yourself, well that's just against human nature. We are generally very self loving creatures, right? But on the same token, I've been trying to use positive statement in first person. "I have everything I need" "I am fully capable" "I am strong" and it is odd. And do you know what I noticed?

I noticed that no one has ever said nice things to me. Obviously that can't possibly be true for the entirety of my life, but on a habitual basis, day to day, or even week to week, nothing nice. Please don't get me wrong, people have given me compliments, and they are wonderful. But this is an essential job of the nurturer, or parent, and I totally missed out. I love my parents, and I know they love me, but they kinda let me down in this area.

When I found out that the Lord actually liked me, 6 years into my Christian walk, I was stunned. It undid me. I just didn't get it. I didn't know I was thinking this, but I felt, "no, that can't be true, you see he is pretty bummed that he had to die on a cross and got your sorry self as a reward." But that isn't how he feels at all. I am his greatest reward. We are his greatest reward.

Think of rerouting a train. That is what my emotional life is like right now, which is certainly fine, because emotionally, it was like I was running, but off the tracks. It's quite a process to retrain (ha!) one's thinking, but we are on it, The Lord and me.

Anyway, back to this second/first person thing. I wonder how well adjusted people refer to themselves? "I can do this" "You can do this" and if it really matters?

Oh, and if it is news to you that there might be other things in your head, time to clue in my dear. You have both an amazingly clever enemy and an outstandingly glorious God, and they are both speaking to you in MANY ways. Listen Up.