Is Your Inner Voice a Friend or a Foe?
We all have self-talk, the narratives that loop in our minds. The stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and about our circumstances and sometimes this voice is not helpful. As Christians, we’re taught to listen to God and what story he is writing with our lives but we’re not always obedient to this voice. Sometimes we are listening to our own narratives more than than God’s narrative. Sometimes it’s helpful to listen to what that voice is saying so that we can evaluate whether it’s speaking truth or lies. This inner voice can have a powerful influence on us and have a significant impact on the quality of our life. We have to start tuning in more deeply to what that voice is saying. Is it criticizing you, accusing you, blaming you or saying your not enough? Sometimes we say things to ourselves that we would never say to another person much less a friend, family member or someone we love. So why then, do we say these things to ourselves?
Take a few minutes today to listen to your voice. Is the voice encouraging, hopeful, and compassionate or is it pessimistic, blaming, or anxious? Next, ask yourself why? Did you hear these same narratives and voices from people of your past? Track your inner voice over several days and keep a record noting the situation or circumstance. Do you notice any patterns in positivity or negativity with different circumstances or different settings or people? Maybe you find yourself having more negative self-talk at work or with certain coworkers. Are there certain situations where you are harder or more compassionate with yourself than others? Look back and decide how you can change your narratives to support yourself more fully and show more compassion. Ask God to speak over the harmful narratives and show you the truth of who he says you are. Let Him be the author of your story. Let him write and speak truth and wisdom into the chapters of your story. We can’t always change the beginning or even the middle but we can change how the story ends with God’s help and guidance. Looking closely at the scripts in our head do make a difference in how that story gets told, written, and ultimately how it ends. As you think about your story, is someone else from your past holding the pen? Were you typecast in your family growing up as the responsible one or the funny one or the pushover? Are there any identities you would want to let go of? Or is there an identity that you may want to embrace or cultivate that’s more true to who you believe you are, who you want to be and who you believe God is calling you to be? Remember, you can tell your story from a perspective that speaks Godly truth.
It has been proven scientifically that when we approach situations with more thoughtful compassion we open up our learning centers and our neural pathways to make it possible to have positive change and to think new thoughts. Just the intention to bring kindness to the moment is healing and softens our hearts. And every time we gently begin again, we are laying down in a deeper way the new neural pathways for growth and change. Brain neuroplasticity research shows our brain’s remarkable capacity to adapt and grow not just when we’re young but at any time in our life. We all can grow new neural pathways, strengthen old pathways and eliminate connections that are no longer useful. It takes consistency though. Research also shows what you practice grows stronger. What narrative are you practicing today? Consider the “Inside Journey” if you would like help establishing more positive narratives with yourself and learning ways to hear God’s voice more clearly.
