The Messages You Send Yourself - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

The Messages You Send Yourself - In Touch Ministries - Dr. Charles Stanley 2010

I can't say enough about the message this week from Dr. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries. In keeping with my own project of self-esteem building for children, I go through this week's sermon on "The Messages You Send Yourself" and truly ponder what things I have led myself to believe about my own abilities and accomplishments.

I find it hard to take a compliment, and as soon as the words have left the mouth of the person giving me one, my mind immediately starts to cut it down. Why do we do that to ourselves? Instead of being humbled and thankful, we tear down any credible testimony to the accomplishments we have completed. We act as if we don't deserve them. Because in our minds, we did not do enough complete it. To get it right. To stop it from happening. To make it better than it is.

But guess what? That can all stop with the messages that we send to OURSELVES. We must learn how to send messages to ourselves that reflect beauty, joy, humbleness, pride (but not haughty), and success. Then, those messages will be easier to send to others. The funny thing is that most of us do not take compliments to heart. Yet, secretly, we all long for them and want someone to pat us on the back and say "job well done." And that goes for all of us in our homes from our family, our friends, our children, as well as in our professional lives. Since we know that we long for those compliments, we also need to keep finding ways to compliment and encourage others. Even those that WE think (judge) may not deserve it. Kind words will go a long way. C'mon, we learned that in elementary school, didn't we. Why as adults do we suddenly forget that?

We need to bask in the glory of our Lord who does not judge us for "what we did not do". He will judge us for the love we gave and the success we made in loving others. We need to learn to accept the kind words that are given to us and continue to give those words to others. For each of us is "wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14) and we need to remember that everyday.