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Presented by Lisa Bishop
Has anyone ever said something hurtful about you that you had a hard time shaking loose? I want to talk about lies others have spoken about you or over you that have negatively impacted how you see yourself.
When I was growing up there was a saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” You’ve probably heard it. I don’t know who made that little jingle up but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Often, healing from painful words that have been hurled at you can be a much harder process than mending from a physical injury. Because words hurt. They wound. And if you are not careful you can internalize them and they will become part of your identity.
I will never forget coming back from summer break and entering into my second year of middle school. As if middle school was not brutal enough, living through the awkward phases and just having an overall feeling of insecurity, what one of the 8th grade boys said to me stuck with me for a long time. He looked across the cafeteria and shouted, “Hey, Bishop, you actually kind of look good this year.” Needless to say, I was mortified. I am not certain of the full intention of his words but this is what I heard when his words thundered across the room, “Hey Lisa, you were really ugly and unattractive last year but this year you’re not so bad.” Let’s just say that is not something an already self-conscious 8th grade girl wants to hear. I still remember his words 40 years later like it was yesterday. Thankfully they no longer have an impact on me, but they did for years. I internalized his view of me and allowed them to feed into my insecurity and inform my identity. Ugly. Not chosen. Overlooked. Undesirable. I know it may seem silly now, but the reality is, words sting. And if you are not fully grounded in your identity in Jesus, people’s careless words can stick to you like glue and you will start believing they are true.
What hateful, harsh, or harming words have been spoken over you and into your life? Maybe they were reckless words released from a parent, teacher, boss, spouse, or friend. What has someone said to you that you have consciously or unconsciously taken in as truth? What lies have you let settle in that have impacted the way you see yourself and are not in alignment with what God says about you? It takes intentionality to name the lies and rehearse the truth. And the truth is you are made in God’s image as Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
And Psalm 139:13-14: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful.” The bigger picture here is knowing who God is and he does not make mistakes. What words need healing from Jesus? Bring them to the cross, release them to Jesus, rebuke them and rehearse what is true. Release. Rebuke. Rehearse. Thank God for who he is and how he has made you.