Being A Friend To Yourself

Being a Friend to Yourself

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!

I realized several years ago the unkind way in which I talked to myself at times. I said things that I would never say to someone else, things like, Why can’t you just lose these last ten pounds already?! or You really said the wrong thing there. I replayed conversations or actions in my head and picked apart things I could have done differently or better.

This became exhausting. My inner critic had me so tightly wound that I had a hard time enjoying my own life. I was fearful in most situations and was anxious about doing new things, concerned that I would fail or make a fool of myself. But the more I read Scripture, the more I realized that these thoughts did not originate with God. These were not things he would say to me, so why was I saying them to myself?

One day I stopped and thought about what I was saying to myself and decided: It’s time to stop being so mean to myself. I started a list of all the things that God said about me: I am loved, made in his image, called his child, created to do good works, and on and on. Every time a negative or critical thought would come, I reminded myself of the truth found in God’s Word. Over time, I began to develop a certainty about who God said I was, and my inner critic began to quiet down. I was gentler in the way that I spoke to myself.

If we are loved dearly by God, enough that he calls us his child, then we are valuable to him and therefore shouldn’t belittle or put ourselves down. Learning how to be a friend to yourself and speak God’s truth over yourself is often the first step in being a good friend to others.

— Kendra

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

When a negative or critical thought comes to mind, replace it with the truth of what God says about you.