Even as we are intentional about listening for God’s truth in our lives, it can still be a struggle to push “stop” on those critical voices, or “gremlins,” as author Brene Brown calls them. Brown aptly compares those voices to the cries of toddlers who, if they don’t get what they want initially, just grow louder and louder.
And every bit as important as hitting “stop” and “delete” will be replacing those critical messages with affirming ones, especially those given to us in Holy Scripture. For example, Isaiah 43: “I have called you by name; you are mine” (v.1). Here is the voice of a loving parent, one who looks forward to holding an adored child. This kind of tender love is what God feels for us. Make a list of affirming messages you hear in Scripture, at church, in encouraging words, writings and songs. Add to it frequently and keep it somewhere you can access it easily when you need it.
This message is excerpted from “Messages from God,” by Kari Van Wakeren in the March 2021 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, martyr, 156.
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