“Tell yourself the truth, Brooke.”
Moms say a lot of things.
They take lots of moments to infuse guidance into their growing
kids. I was with my friend on the bus
when she told her two year old, “Oh Honey, we don’t lick the bus.” At some point, we all had to learn not to
lick the hand railings on the public bus.
These messages join the mix of voices inside, instructing long after we’ve
flown the nest. I’m sure my mom taught
me to say thank you, to wash my hands, and stuff like that. I know she told me how long to cook corn on
the cob, but I still have to call and ask her every time. I don’t distinctly remember her giving me these
instructions. What I remember is how she
told me to tell myself the truth.
As a child, this phrase came up when I’d come home from
school and say, “No one likes me.” In my
teen years, I’d say, “I’m too fat.” My brother
Brent would pick me up, sling me over his shoulder and say, “Not yet!” and my
mom would say, “Tell yourself the truth.”
I’d punch Brent’s back until my face turned red upside down and laugh, “Okay! Okay! I’m
not fat! ”
I’m glad this is the Mom-phrase that stuck. In my journey with God, He’s used these words
to remind me of His truth from the Bible.
Lately, I’ve been working on exercising consistently. I often put on workout clothes intending to
jog on our treadmill while my baby naps.
Then, the day goes by one thing at a time and it’s 9pm, I’m falling
asleep on the couch watching The Voice, still wearing those workout
clothes. Last night, 9pm rolled around
and I was in my usual spot, usual outfit.
I thought, “Bleh. I guess today’s
exercise plan is shot.” Then, my mind
got all rebellious (in a good way) and the Holy Spirit hit me with some truth: “Get up; follow through. God is working in me and I can do this.” So, I did it.
Praise God!
I’m not sure how my mom came up with her phrase, whether
it was intentional or just a natural response to a daughter who often cried
about things that weren’t true. Did she
know how God would empower me throughout my life?
Now I’m a mom. My
little boy is nine months old. I have an
opportunity to choose words of blessing or curse. Curse seems like a strong word in this
context, but our words are powerful.
Just think of a teasing nickname someone used for you once. I bet it stuck and I bet it has impacted the
way you think about yourself.
So, last week, my son was jumping in this bouncer seat
that hangs from a doorway. I had him hanging
from the closet while I was putting laundry away. He was bouncing with all his might,
ricocheting off the doorframe and squealing with glee. I laughed and said, “Luke! You are crazy!!!” Right away, there was that Holy Spirit check
in my heart: “What’s God’s truth about
Luke right now?” I asked God for His
word for Luke and God said, “Joy.”
“Luke, you are so full of joy!”
It seems harmless to call my son crazy in this silly
context. Of course I don’t mean
literally crazy, but it’s a curse of sorts.
God’s word “joy” is His blessing, His truth for Luke. I’d rather Luke have that in his head as he
grows up.
Because of all these truth revelations I’m having, I was
feeling bold and asked God if anyone in my daily activities needed to know a
piece of truth. Yesterday, Luke and I visited my great aunt at her assisted living
apartment. Auntie loves Luke and always
tells him, “You are soooo precious!” I was able to tell her, “God sees you just
like you see Luke. You are sooooo
precious, Auntie!” She said, “No, I’m
not. I’m just an old lady.” So, we’ll have to keep going back to remind
her.
This is different than giving compliments. Speaking God’s truth, especially in cases
where it does not feel true, shakes up the spiritual battle going on in the
world. Someone needs to hear that they
are forgiven and God has removed their sin from them as far as the east is from
the west (Psalm 103:12). Someone needs
to hear that God is fighting for them (Exodus 14:14). Someone needs to hear that God is a healer
(Exodus 15:26). It’s okay if it’s hard
to believe now. My mom must have
encouraged me towards the truth a million and one times, which is why it stuck
so well. Like my Auntie, we may need
more convincing. But let’s let the voice
in our head be the voice of truth. Let’s
let the words that come out of our mouths be something that will bless the
hearer and help them know God’s love.
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Want more? Here is
a flashback to a poem I posted here four years ago about this same topic:
So very thankful to have met you! Your insight and faith is so amazing and always what I need. What a joy you are as well as sweet Luke!
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