Be kind to yourself. It is often said, that if we were to say to & of others what we are saying to ourselves all day we would be labeled abusive. Stop mentally abusing yourself. Here are four things to tell yourself today!

It has been a minute since I shared a little #mondaymovtivation with you guys! Lately I have been thinking about all the negative things I tend to think and even sometimes say about myself out of habit. There are so many things we say to ourselves that we could never say to anyone else. If we said to others what we often think about ourselves to ourselves we would be considered abusive and would probably have very few friends.

I am a huge believer that there is immense power in your thought life. That is why Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (ESV) We have to teach ourselves to think on things that are positive, productive & true!

So today I am sharing 4 things I want all of my Christian sisters (& brothers if you are here) to tell yourselves today!

You Are Loved!

This one of those truths that negative mopey people tend to avoid. At least I do. When you are so focused on your lack and the negatives you can miss the truth that you are loved more that you can imagine. Every one has someone in their life that truly loves them, but even if you don’t there is a God, aka our Heavenly Father, who loves us more than we will ever be able to fathom. His love is immeasurable and unconditional.

I am writing this on the day before Easter. The cross is the ultimate proof that God’s love is far beyond our understanding. He loved us so much that He sent His son to die for us (John 3:16) so that through that sacrifice we could be adopted in to the family of God (Galatians 4:5) and have access to Him as Daddy (Galatians 5:6) and be sons and daughters and coheirs with Christ! (Romans 8:17) This is crazy to me. This is the type of thing you should focus on! When your mind wanders somewhere negative and destructive, you think back on the cross and the love of God. You tell yourself that you are loved by a mighty God whose love is unexaggeratable. (Yes, I know that is not a real word but you get what I am trying to say.)

You Are Forgiven

I try and force my brain to think on this one when I am struggling to forgive. Luke 7 tells a story of a Pharisee that invites Jesus to dinner. While they are dining a woman from the city with a bad reputation crashes the party. She comes in and she falls at the feet of Jesus. She begins to weep and she uses her tears and her hair to wash His feet. She pulls out a box of fancy perfume and begins to anoint Him with it. Seeing this The Pharisee begins to judge her and Jesus in his mind. He thinks that if Jesus were who He said He was He would never allow such a woman to touch Him. Jesus hears his thoughts and says,

“Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:44-47

She knew all that she had been forgiven of and from that solid foundation, she overflowed with love. What have you been forgiven of? Meditate on that! Don’t sit around thinking about all your wrongs and glorifying your mistakes but do think of all that He has set you free from and all that He has wiped from your record and glorify Him! Remind yourself that you are forgiven and praise God for it!

You Are Enough!

“I am never enough.” “I am a terrible ___________.” “I’ll never be able to ___________.” Lies. Lies. Lies. These lies are super sneaky and can quickly become a part of the normal dialogue you have with yourself. They tend to come up when the status of your life makes them seem super true. The evidence is there. “My husband seems so unsatisfied in our marriage. I am a terrible wife.” “My five year old just told me he hates me after I completely lost my cool. I am a terrible mother.” “I give and give and it never seems to be enough.” These are subtle and sneaky lies that lodge themselves in our minds and shape what we think of ourselves.

Instead you need to focus on what God says of you. I always tell myself to focus on the Truth rather than the facts. The facts may be dire, but the truth is never wavering. The Truth is that God has assigned us a worth. Would you sacrifice someone you loved dearly for a group of people that you though were worthless? I don’t think so. One of my favorite quotes by Max Lucado says, “One word from the palace, silences a thousand voices in the streets.” You may have voices telling you that you are not enough, but God says you are His beloved and He delights in you. (Zephaniah 3:17) He says that He will help you in the areas you are weak. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) He tells us that there is nothing we can’t do when we do it through Him and with His help and guidance! (Philippians 4:13)

You Have Influence

I do not care who you are or where you work or live. You have influence. You can be a CEO or at some position at the bottom of the totem pole. You have a circle of influence. I have been thinking lately on the idea that love is not boastful or proud. Instead it always sees others as more important. This does not mean that we sit around and think about how much we suck and how everyone else seems to be better and more important than us. This would still be you thinking way too much about you.

What I am saying, is we consider others more than we consider ourselves. If we see those around us as more important than ourselves we will treat them like they are important. Who doesn’t want to be treated that way? You have influence! You have the potential to influence every single person you encounter each day. You can encourage the barista when you stop for morning coffee. You can let the parking garage attendant know you sincerely hope their day is great. You can ask a coworker how they are doing and really care about the answer. You can let your boss know that you are thankful for their leadership. You can let your husband know that he is apprieciated. You can make sure your kids know that they are a blessing to your life. You can watch out for those opportunities to share the Good News of Christ!

I hope these give you some positive ammunition to fire at the negative thoughts when they pop up. Also know that they will pop up. Over and over you will have to shoot them down. Some days they may pop up and instead of murdering them right there, you take em out to dinner with you and let them hang out all evening. My point is retraining your mind is not easy, it does not happen over night and you may fail and let lies linger for longer than you should. Do not allow yourself to be condemned though! Just get back up. Kick those lies out and think on things that are true!

If you guys liked this post then please share it so that we can keep spreading the good news! If you want to join our growing community here and keep up with us as well as receive more encouragement like this post in your inbox then please sign up below!

Thank you guys for your time and also thank you all for your kind words. I love hearing from you guys! If you have another affirmation that I didn't include then please share it with us in the comments! Have an awesome day!