Don’t MIND Me, Just Beating Myself Up Over Here
There I was, stopped at a stop sign waiting for my turn to go safely when BAM! I was bombarded – again. My mind was flooded with negative thoughts. “You’re so stupid. You’re a terrible person. You’re so fat and ugly. No one likes you. You’re an embarrassment…” The thoughts were relentless and seemingly out of my control.
Enough. I had had enough. I could not take it anymore. “Jesus!” I said out loud, by myself, in the car, “Jesus, I need your help. Help me stop these negative thoughts.” No, random person driving by, I’m not talking to myself. I’m talking to Jesus. He’s my co-pilot, okay!
In an immediate answer to my prayer, nothing happened physically, but I could feel a golden light shine on me through the darkness of my thoughts. “You are dearly loved. You are my beloved. I have a plan for you. You are precious to me. I love you.” God had spoken His truth into my heart and mind. This was the beginning of a journey to becoming baggage free.
Guess what, my dear Becoming Baggage Free Friend (BBFF), He thinks that about you. YOU are dearly loved. (John 3:16) YOU are God’s beloved. He rejoices over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) God has a specific plan for your life that involves hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11) YOU are precious to Him. He knew you while you were being formed in your mother’s womb. (Jeremiah 1:5) He knows you now and loves you no matter what you have done. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. (Romans 8:39)
All these negative thoughts become a buzz kill. I don’t need that negativity in my life. I can “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ”. (2 Corinthians 10:5) It’s a struggle. The struggle is real! It takes lots of practice, like a mental exercise routine. You don’t have to agree with the negative thoughts. You can rebuke it, saying “No, I’m not (negative thought). Jesus says I’m (the truth).” Memorizing scriptures will be an awesome tool to have in your arsenal.
Another tool that has helped me stop the negative thoughts is that when they come, I stop and evaluate them. The one I say to myself is “I’m such a loser!” Now if I think that, I’ll say “Self, you’re not a loser. You’re feeling overwhelmed or tired or frustrated or whatever the adjective that fits.”
Recently, I had a bad day. Those mean, nasty thoughts were at it again. “Ugh. You’re doing such a terrible job. You really suck at this. You’re such a terrible mom.” Satan was sitting at my table eating my food! Rude!!!
It dawned on me. Satan always uses “you”. He doesn’t say “I’m doing a terrible job.” So I turned it around on him. “You’re right, Satan, you are doing a terrible job. You DO suck at this. YOU are a complete and utter disappointment to the entire universe!!!” Apparently, he couldn’t take the criticism because the mental beat down stopped.
God can deliver you from these destructive thoughts. He wants to. You can live a life free from this. Here’s some tools that might help:
Tools:
Prayer
Holy Bible
Memorize Scriptures
Worship Songs
Me, Myself & Lies by Jennifer Rothschild (a great Bible study with videos)