It All Begins in Your Mind (Stop Believing Lies About Yourself!)

It all begins in your mind. What you think about yourself can build you up or tear you down.

Welcome to Day 1 of our Mom Makeover Series! Today we’re going to start with something that can either help or hinder you in your journey toward change. And that something is how you think about yourself. It all begins in your mind.

This is the second post in a series. Read the first post here.

What’s Going On in Your Mind?

What kinds of thoughts do you regularly think? What’s the general tone of the “inner conversation” you have with yourself on a daily basis? Are your thoughts mostly negative, or positive?

Do you ever berate yourself in your mind, putting yourself down for things you can’t change? Do you mentally insult yourself?

Have you ever said any of these things to yourself?

“I’m fat.”
“I’m ugly.”
“I’m stupid.”
“I’m worthless.”
“I’ll never get it.”
“I can’t do it.”
“I’m a failure.”
“It’s hopeless.”

If you’ve said any of these unkind things to yourself, you’re not alone. I think most of us can relate to this.

In our society, women are filled with the pressure to be perfect, bombarded with photos of airbrushed models and the notion that we can “have it all.” It’s no wonder many of us crumble under the weight of such unrealistic expectations.

The Power of Words

Sometimes we go for years playing the same old negative messages in our minds. Perhaps someone told you that you were fat or ugly or stupid. (I still remember the time when I was around 13 and a boy I liked told me I was ugly. He probably wouldn’t even remember it, but his words deeply wounded me and stayed with me for years.) The words of others can do so much damage.

But sometimes we’re throwing those insults at ourselves. And that can be just as damaging. Sometimes we get stuck in a negative pattern of tearing ourselves down with words.

And we start to believe those negative words. We believe we are those things we’ve been hearing in our mind for so long.

We forget that we are actually beautiful in the eyes of God. We forget that we were created with a purpose and for great things. We forget that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. We forget the power of his word and his work in our lives.

And we become fearful, ineffective women, crippled with bitterness and negativity and regret.

These Lies Hinder Your Growth

If you’re believing these lies about yourself, and thinking of yourself as unattractive or undesirable in some way, it will definitely hinder your growth. Your beliefs can hold you back and keep you from becoming the beautiful, joyful woman you really are in Christ.

When we go around believing lies about ourselves, it not only affects us, but it affects those around us. Jesus says in Luke 6:45:

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

If we have evil things (even if they are inward-focused) in our heart, they will eventually come out in one way or another.

Thinking negative thoughts will translate to speaking negative words. This will greatly impact the whole atmosphere of our home and our relationships with our husband and children.

And think about it. If we despise ourselves and constantly think self-loathing thoughts, how can we genuinely love others?

And he said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ~Matthew 22:37-39

We need to be kind and loving to ourselves, and give ourselves grace. And this grace and kindness will spill over into our interactions with others.

Time for a Change

If you’ve been believing lies about yourself, then it’s time to make a change. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s completely necessary for living a renewed and beautiful life.

No matter how much effort we put into improving our lives, we’ll fail if we don’t get this part right. Those negative thoughts will just keep on defeating us and making us believe we can’t change.

We need to stop believing the lies of the enemy of our souls and believe the truth of God’s word instead.