There are ads everywhere that tell us we're not enough. If they convince us we're not attractive enough, not strong enough, not successful enough, or not smart enough, they've got a good chance of selling us the product that will solve that problem... until the next ad tells us we're not enough.
The world is full of messages that we're not enough. God's truth says that we are.
You are enough because you are a child of God. He made you in His image. It doesn't get better than that. That's enough to be worthy of love.
Many of us know deep down that we are enough but still have a hard time believing it some days. In addition to understanding our true identity- who God says we are, there are things we can do to increase our awareness of our enoughness. Just as bad daily habits can make us feel worthless, good daily habits can build us up and move us toward confidence in God's truth.
Here are 4 awesome ways to infuse God's truth about how great you are into your every day:
1. Have a Come-to-Jesus moment with yourself.
Sit in front of a full-sized mirror and tell yourself everything God would tell you about who you are. Here's the really important part of this before you do this, ask God to speak to you in this moment by guiding your thoughts. He can use this time to tell you exactly what you need to hear.
Look yourself square in the eyes, and in your most loving, supportive voice, begin telling yourself out loud who God says you are. Use Bible verses and also anything that comes to your mind. Talk about your strengths, how well you work through your weaknesses, talk about your body, all the good things you've done, and all the good you'll do.
If you have a negative thought about yourself, speak the opposite of that.
Some of us have never heard those words of affirmation spoken over us, and most of us don't hear them enough. Believe that all of the good things you're saying about yourself are true. God is good and you were made to be like Him so wouldn't that make you good too?
If the constant influx of negative messages that we receive is enough to successfully convince us that we are not enough, then doing exercises like this will help combat that.
2. Create a Self-Talk/God-Talk worksheet.
Write down every destructive thought you have about yourself and write next to it all of the verses that God says about those things. This may take some time but that's good because the more time you invest in this, the more likely you are to use it as a resource later, which is exactly what you want to do.
Think about where you are when you most often worry or talk down to yourself. Are you getting ready for work? Tape this sheet onto your bathroom mirror. Are you at work? Place it inside your desk drawer.
Keep this sheet handy at the place you'll need it the most and when you have a negative thought, reject that thought and replace it with the verse you found.
3. Create an imaginary friend.
You know that accusing voice in your head that’s always telling you you’re not enough? She says really mean things and her tone is super harsh.
Create a sassy best friend that tells you how it really is- and I don't mean how you really messed up. Would your friend say that to you? I hope not! No, she's going to tell you that everybody messes up and she's going to encourage you to learn from it and forgive yourself.
She loves you so she’s going to tell it to you straight but you can always hear the love in her voice. She’ll say stuff like “Don’t apologize for existing, girl. You’re better than that!”
The next time you hear mean critic, tell her she has to leave because your sassy best friend is here and you're going to spend time with her instead. If you need help imagining what she sounds like, try listening to Rachel Hollis's audiobook, Girl, Stop Apologizing.
4. Post it!
No, not on social media. The next time you're lacking confidence or criticizing yourself, write down the opposite of those thoughts on actual post-it notes! Limit one thought per post-it and stick those suckers all over the place that you spend the most time.
Soon, you may have a whole wall of colorful notes that affirm who you are and what you were created to do. I know from experience that people in your house will love reading them too! It's a great way to create an uplifting atmosphere.
Tell yourself all of the ways that God says you are enough
1. in the mirror
2. on a worksheet
3. in your head
4. on post-it notes
What other ways can you remind yourself what God says about you? Tell me in the comments section. Can't wait to hear from you!
~Staci
Next week, I'll be talking about that one thing that we should tell ourselves when we're feeling anxious or overwhelmed in What You Are Feeling Is Temporary at Own Your Victory. Don't miss it!