Someone in my family: “I lost 3 pounds…but it’s probably just water weight.” A few hours later, “I exercised 40 minutes but it wasn’t very good as I was trying to do 45.”
Me: “Mother! If I lost 3 pounds would you bash me and tell me it’s just “water weight?” Or if I exercised 40 minutes would you tell me that I was a failure because I didn’t do 45?”
Person in my family: “No! Absolutely not. I would never say that to you!”
Me: “Well then?!”
Oftentimes we treat others nicer than we treat ourselves.
I say to myself, “I feel so frustrated that people don’t listen.” Or I look in the mirror and say “I need to lose a few pounds but it’s so hard. I try and it comes right back.” Then I go to work and think “Why do others have the life they wanted yet as hard as I try and go for it, I have very little of what I have dreamed about.”
Yet would I tell someone else I loved the same thing the same way?
“People don’t listen to you so it’s probably not worth trying very hard.”
“You put a lot of effort in for not much result so maybe it’s best not to work so hard.”
“You really need to lose a few pounds but it’s hard and it will probably just come right back.” “Everyone else will get their dreams fulfilled but you’ll probably be left out and a leftover.”
Would I say this to others? As a Christian, I wouldn’t ever say those things to someone! (At least I hope I wouldn’t.) But it’s what we tell ourselves.
What happens though is that thoughts become seeds.
