Hearing Voices
My pastor at church said something in his sermon this Sunday that got me thinking.
Do you hear voices in your head?
The truth is, we all do.
We are so inundated, especially at this point in history, with “voices”. Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins. Friends, pastors, teachers, bosses, colleagues. Not to mention a 24/7 news cycle, and Social Media. All of whom are ready to bombard us with words; words of advice, encouragement, criticism, opinions. hope, despair. Words that may be trying to tell us what to do, how to think, what to buy, what to believe, who to be. And some of these words can set up camp in our heads, affecting who we are throughout our lives. They stick with us.
They are messages and images and stories telling us we are selfish, lazy, stupid, too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, not enough. Not good enough.
They are the words of a teacher telling a child she has poor hand-to-eye coordination, leading to her terrible handwriting.
They are the words of a professor, saying that “you are talented for a girl.”
They are the words of a one-time friend, telling you that you are not worth showing up for.
They are the words of a Mom, telling you that she believes in you, no matter what.
They are the words of a brother, who stands up for you when someone picks on you. Repeatedly.
They are the words of sisters, who tell you that you are smart.
They are words of a husband, telling you that you are his hero.
They are the words of friends, who go out of their way to include you.
What voices are camped out in your head? Who do you let in to stay? It might be that they have been there for so long that you don’t even remember who they belong to. Are they useful? Constructive? Or are they needlessly tearing you down? What voices are others hearing from you? Are you leaving messages of encouragement or criticism? Love or hate? Humor? Faith? Hope?
I don’t know how to change those voices in my head. But I am going to take a good, hard look at them. It may be that their days are numbered.
Peace,
Kat