Sticks and Stones…..

We’ve all heard that little saying… “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”… there are several variations of this saying.. and yes, I’m sure that many of us have not only heard it but said it as children as well… but the question we need to be asking is it not words that are breaking us?

What I’d like for us to examine is how conditioned and influenced we are to the words of another… and how the ‘acceptance” of others so influences our lives.  So many do things simply because of the opinions of others… or even what they think someone else might think about it.

Yet the question has to be asked… why would the opinion or view of anyone else about you… or about what you do be more important to you than the opinion and view you have of yourself or what it is that you KNOW about yourself?

Why do words that others say about us or to us cause us so much pain?  Why do they cause us to feel good about ourselves… or not good about ourselves?  What has caused us to value the views and opinions of others that the expense of ourselves??

Have you ever asked yourself why it is that you see the opinion or view of yourself through the eyes of another so much more significant to you than what you see of yourself and know of yourself?  Have you ever asked yourself why it is that the view of someone else or what you even think might be their opinion of you has so much power and influence in your life… that it will cause you to do something that you otherwise wouldn’t do… cause you to question what you’re doing or wearing or your own view of things???

At one time or other we’ve all found ourselves concerned with the “acceptance of others”… doing something because of the opinion of others… or what they might think or say about us if we don’t… but does that alter who we are?  Does that change who we know within us that we are?  Is allowing the opinion of others to influence what it is that we do, how we think and feel simply giving them power over us and influence in our lives to cause us pain… or even to “build us up”…. why would a person confident in who they are… what they know of themselves do so?

Is it because we are not confident in who we are… that we are so drastically affected or influenced by the opinions of others? Wasn’t it following the opinion and view of another that, according to the bible began the issues between man and God from the beginning?

Have we had so many writings and teachings available to us telling us that we are to know from within ourselves who we are.. .we are to hear that from the “mouth of God” to each of us… and not let anyone sway us from it… no matter who they are or what they say about us or even to us… or to others about us?

Isn’t that the message of the life of Jesus in the pages of our bibles?  Wasn’t it God that is recorded to have told people Jesus was His Son, in whom He was well pleased?  Doesn’t the bible tell us that this is what Jesus heard God telling Him as well?  Did Jesus allow the religious leaders of his day to convince him against that?  Did he allow the devil in the time of his temptation to turn him away from what He knew God said to him and about Him??

Did he change what he was doing because religious leaders or anyone else in his day say he was of the devil, that he was evil, to his face or even behind his back to others?  Did he do something other than what He knew He was to do when even his own disciples said He should… or was His example… to hear from God, to know within yourself who you are… and whether or not God is well pleased with you…. and not let anyone else… no matter who they are… what they say about you… claim to know about you… promise you… or even threaten you with…. turn you from what it is that you know from GOD (that which is within you)….

Be encourage to know who you are from within yourself.  Know yourself and to your own self be true…. don’t let the opinions or views of any other about you change who you are… cause you to do things other than you know you are to do or not to do… and remember… often times it’s the words that do break us… break our spirit, break our hearts, break our passions, and break down what we KNOW within ourselves….but why would we allow that has to be the question!!

What does God says .. what is it that you know within you….. we can’t serve two masters…. we were not designed to do so!! A divided house will not stand… and so many other passages and teachings have all been sharing this valuable lesson and profound understanding with us all…. so be encouraged… be who you are!  ♥♥