“Just a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. In a most delightful way.”
~Mary Poppins
A lovely idea that a little bit of something “extra” will make things all better, but not necessarily true.
Especially if that “little extra” is harmful.
I recently had a conversation with a dear friend who I have admired for many years (a courageous woman who doesn’t conform to the conventions of society) and during this conversation I was shocked to learn that this fierce woman suffered abuse for many years at the hands of her ex-husband.
Verbal abuse doled out daily and sometimes laced with a little bit of sugar. It took her years and many counseling sessions to realize she had been poisoned. She unknowingly accepted toxic doses daily just like it was given with her morning cup of coffee. Sadly, she didn’t appreciate what years of accumulation would do to her -- just like literal poison, every dose infused her mind, body, and soul with negativity. The hurt and lies left her a broken woman. Thankfully, her story ended in triumph with those closest to her intervening and getting her the help that she needed to see what she was ingesting clearly and the repercussions.
Her story got me to thinking, how many of us take a daily dose of poison and not even know it?
It might not be in a form as extreme as abuse from a spouse, but poison can come from other sources- a parent, a friend or even ourselves!
What negativity do you speak to yourself or allow others to talk over you?
Words of:
Bitterness
Self-loathing
Defeat
Criticism
Failure
Unworthiness
Blame
Guilt
Shame
Lies
Hatred
Condemnation
Do we pay attention to what we are ingesting into our minds and hearts?
What tiny dose are we accepting on a daily basis that infuses destruction throughout our bodies?
A poison that little by little changes us into a shell of what God intended.
I must admit there are times that I speak words of negativity over myself. Words like: “Nothing ever goes right,” “My dreams will never come true,” “Come on, Noelle, get your act together,” "Wow, that was stupid."
Words that when written down shout self-defeat. But, when I speak them, I do so without really thinking and not realizing I'm poisoning myself.
I love this advice from Stormie Omartian:
“When talking about yourself, speak words of hope, health, encouragement, life, and purpose- they are God’s truth for you.”
When we speak negatively about ourselves or our situation, we hinder the possibility of things being different.
When we allow others to speak negativity over us, we begin to believe their lies as truth.
The Bible tells us:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” ~ Proverbs 18:21
Words matter – they are NOT harmless!
What truth or lies we ingest matters because they have the power to promote health and life, or sickness and death.
They can make or break your spirit!
God's truth is what matters and when we know what HE has to say about us and allow His words to wash over us- we live abundantly.
Be careful of what you ingest. It may only seem like a harmless spoonful and might not taste too bitter, but over time it can destroy your chance to live the life God intended!
Father, we thank you for your gift of wisdom and clarity. You are the author of truth, and we ask that you bath us in what is pure, right and lovely. Help us to listen to what you have to say about us and not what Satan would like us to believe. Cleanse our hearts of any impurities and make us sensitive to words that bring health, life, and prosperity.
“A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” ~Luke 6:45