I read in the Vancouver Sun this morning about two 19 year old women who were both in a serious car accident in Michigan. One was killed in the accident and the other had severe injuries and has just come out of a 6 week coma. The details are amazing. They look a lot alike and the wrong family was told that their daughter was killed in the accident. So, (follow this carefully...)
Girl A was buried by Girl B's family and Girl B was being visited in the hospital by Girl A's parents. Girl A has a tombstone with Girl B's name on it. The way the mistake was discovered was when Girl A's family kept calling her by Girl A's name. Girl B has recovered enough that she knew her own name and kept correcting them.
As a parent, I can't begin to imagine what these parents must have experienced. At the same time, I see a powerful spiritual lesson here. There are at least 3 types of messages that we hear about ourselves that shape what we believe about who we are.
There's self talk - where we are talking to ourselves about ourselves. We send ourselves messages constantly, some negative, some positive, but they are ever constant.
Secondly, there are the messages that we hear from the devil. They are always deceptive, never empowering and ultimately lead to to disappointment and destruction, because the thief comes to steal kill and destroy.
Finally, there are all the messages that God says about us. These are rooted in truth. Full of affirmation, power and life. These are the messages that make a difference in our lives and transform us from death to life, discouragement to hope, despair to confidence. These messages speak to us about who we are, what we can accomplish and what we can be. The words that God speaks over our lives are the words that shape our identity and destiny.
The challenge is to believe the right message, because what we believe about ourselves is what we ultimately become. Listen carefully. Believe only the best!!
Have a good one!!
Tim
3 comments:
Any tips on knowing which is which?
On the girl or the messages? :-) That's a great question Danica. I think it really comes to recognizing the sound of the voice, in the same way you know the sound of your kids voice. The other way is to evaluate where believing the message will take you. If believing the message makes you smaller, guaranteed it's NOT God. If acting on the message causes you to become a bigger and better person and achieves the goals of the Kingdom, then... the message comes from God. What do you think?
Tim
what if you're being prideful or arrogant and you need to be humbled?
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