Did you ever stop and think about how the voices in your life influence you? They will influence what you buy, the events you attend, and what you believe. More importantly, they influence what you believe about yourself.
For every 1 negative word, there need to be 5 positives to counteract that negative. Words are so powerful in our lives. I was reading a little about this and how one coach suggested turning a negative into a positive, interesting concept but that isn’t necessarily helpful. I have learned in parenting my kids that if what I say isn’t truthful it isn’t really helpful. We often strive to be positive and tip over into being over complimentary to someone, and when that happens the words are meaningless.
There is more than negative and positive words at play, truth plays a part too.
When my kids were younger I ran into a store with my youngest holding my hand. We were in a hurry and running an errand for a friend. I was on the phone with that friend while running this errand. My daughter and I walked quickly to the back of the store and then right back out because the store was out of what we needed. I might have been in the store for 3 minutes. When I got back to the parking lot a woman walking near me said something about me being on the phone and never talking to my kid. It wasn’t my finest moment, and I mouthed off back to her something about minding her own business. My adrenaline was kicking and I was hopping mad at this lady. What this woman didn’t know is I spent so much time helping that little girl to talk. She had no idea that we had tried everything to help her to learn to speak, that I spent a lifetime advocating for what that little girl needed. The kicker was we were running this quick errand on our way home from speech therapy. Careless negative words that this woman had no idea would hurt me.
A few weeks later, I was at another store with all three of my kids and we were doing our regular grocery shopping. I’m not sure what prompted it but a woman stopped me and said that I was such a good mom.
I remember every detail about the negative interaction, remember praying afterward about my attitude back to that lady, remember the store and even the parking space I was in that day. The positive interaction I cannot even recall the store we were in.
What was very apparent to me in both these interactions is neither woman knew the truth. They didn’t know me or my kids, they were looking at a sliver of time in our day. I couldn’t let either voice really influence how I think of myself. In the middle of their words was the truth. I am a mom trying to love and raise my kids the best I know how, by taking care of them and myself.
The voices in our life are powerful. What voices are you letting influence you today? It was instrumental in my life to know how much God loved me, and to start listening to his voice.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalm 139:13-14