Words That Hurt
People you love don't always mean to use words that hurt. People used to always say to me "You are so little!" as to indicate I was puny and I've even been called that. And people would say things like, "You better gain some weight or the wind will blow you away." I thought it was a bad thing to be little, slim. I tried to gain weight but it never worked. It was engraved in my head that I was "so little." My grandmother used to tell me to leave my weight alone. At the time I didn't realize that different size frames will hold a different amount of weight. There is a big difference in being little and being "so" little. When people would fix my plate as a kid, they'd fix me smaller portions that other kids and I'm thinking - "I want more than that." Especially if it was cornbread dressing! (smile) They looked at me and decided that I only needed a certain amount of food on my plate. What they didn't know is that yes, I was finicky but I would eat a lot of foods I liked. I've seen heavy people who are finicky. Then I had those in my family who'd tell me I was going to get a middle-aged spread because that's what happens in our family. I have always said that I will never go through the middle aged spread and that is exactly what happened.
Now they didn't mean any harm. But as you can see, words have a way of affecting how people think. By using my own words I planted the seed I wanted. I later began responding to people who made comments, "I may be little but I am strong." or "We all can't be the same size." My attitude has changed about my size. I'm comfortable with it. Being healthy is what matters. That's what I strive for. Everyone has their own, what we call "healthy weight" based on the size of their frame. Don't get hung up on being a certain "size" that people or society thinks you ought to be.
I said all of that to say, we have to make it a point to produce what we want in our lives by speaking and saying those things that we want and also to speak against any negativity that someone may impose on you. According to scripture it's called "casting down imaginations." My confession is that my body maintains the proper amount of weight. When I bless my food, I also say to my body "Body be nourished." I even say to the food "Food, you will nourish my body in the name of Jesus." Just think about if I used that same principle in every area of my life. Since my children were babies I always said to myself and to everyone that I have good children, we will not have teenage drama. My children are all grown up and never had problems out of them and we did not have teenage drama.
If you want to build someone up, bless them or encourage them, then speak only the positive and leave the negative out. The negative will always exist but we don't have to acknowledge it or focus on it. Only say out loud the good things about your children, your spouse, your friends or situations. You don't need to hear the negative. We cannot deny reality. However we don't have to give it attention. Whatever you give your attention to, you give your power to. It gets bigger and it affects your belief system and how you think. You may have heard the phrase "I ain't trying to hear that." There is something to it. It takes effort to be positive in a negative world, but it is worth it. The adversary is seeking whom he may devour and he does it through our minds. The mental pictures we have in our heads about ourselves is one of the leading causes of depression. What you are thinking has a lot to do with what emotion you feel at any given time.
Lastly, focus on good and positive things by exposing yourself to what is good and positive more than what is negative. Just think about it: What if we spent as much time filling our minds with that which is positive and beneficial to us as we did watching, reading, or hearing things that don't add to our well-being? We would be the epitome of power! So it's not a matter of what's good to do or not to do, as Paul said, but what is beneficial.
I know this article was to talk about email chain letters, but it also has to do with words. I challenge us all to be responsible with our words. I pray that the readers of this article "are" enlightened.
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