A friend of mine and I share verses each morning and share our thoughts on them and how we see them apply to our lives. This morning he shared Psalm 19:14:

Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be acceptable in they sight,
O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

This was my reply:
I have learned that the thoughts and words I say about myself are high-priority to God.

I used to say things like, “Jerri, that was so stupid.” Or I would say, “I am so stupid. Why do I try?” Or I would imagine myself getting rejection letters or negative feedback about a writing submission. 

I tore myself down.

Not my parents or late husband or his family or people who didn’t like me.

Me.

That is not pleasing to God. 

That does not agree with his thoughts and what he says about me. Therefore, tearing myself down was sinning against him by finding constant fault with his creation and his gifts he put into me.

I had to learn to see myself differently. 

But as backward as it may seem, seeing myself differently started by changing what I said about myself. 

I had to change my thoughts about myself. 

I had to stop ruminating on things people said and did that hurt or devalued me and think on things that people said or did that encouraged me and recognized the gifts put in me.

I learned that my own thoughts and words blinded me to God’s showing me how much he loves me and the gifts and influence he put in me. 

My own thoughts and words made me deaf to the kind words and loving actions of other people. 

MY words and meditations created my own misery and my own limits.

There is no way for God to be pleased by that.