In this popular Youtube video called "Jessica's Daily Affirmation," you see a little girl's interaction in front of the mirror that makes you smile. Little Jessica begins to tell herself all the things that she likes, including her school, family, hair, pajamas, and her whole house. You can not help, but want to be a little kid again and have that perspective on life.Watching this you tube video convicted me of how often I stand in front of the mirror and instead of telling myself things that are true, I devalue myself. In the book Telling Yourself the Truth we are challenged to evaluate the words we tell ourselves. Are these words similar to Jessica's words? Or do we constantly look in the mirror and tell ourselves things such as: I am too fat, I have too many pimples, I am not loved, I am dumb and stupid, I hate my family, or I am so insecure? If these are some of the things we tell ourselves, the book challenges us to ask what we are measuring ourselves against? Are we comparing our lives with others who seem better off in some way? Or are we interpreting our lives through the light of God's word? (Backus & Chapian, 2000)
When looking for Jessica's video, I came across another video that reenacts Jessica's self talk at different stages of her life. In this video called "Jessica's Daily Affirmation: I Like Everything Girl Grows Up," you see Jessica's self talk again at age 4, but then you see what Jessica would say at ages 15, 40, and 60. Although this may seem funny, the reality is that as we begin to grow, our self-perceptions changes tremendously.
In the book The Anxiety Cure artificial tranquilizers are explained as being "effective in ameliorating anxiety symptoms in the short term, but they don't cure the anxiety permanently" (Hart, 1999, p. vii). These tranquilizers, as seen in the video of Jessica at age 60, can be very addictive and this dependency can cause "all hell to break loose in your brain" (Hart, 1999, p.vii). Initially, I thought the different stages were hilarious. But, a coworker pointed out that this might be a constant struggle for many, including those who battle this personally or watching someone they love go through it.
My challenge to you as you watch these videos is to take time to evaluate your self talk and apply what was taught in the book Telling Yourself the Truth. Begin the process of locating and identifying your misbeliefs, removing them, and replacing them with the truth, especially God's truth. Remember, "What you think and believe, determines how you feel and what you do" (Backus & Chapian, p. 22).
I'm convicted! These videos were both humorous yet powerful when you really pause to think of the messages that they send. I often have a hard time telling myself the Truth that lines up with God's word. It's much easier for me to listen to and believe the "truth" that others opinions tell me, or that my insecurities, fears, and shame tell me. I am reminded of the Bible verse that says "faith comes by hearing, and hearing from the word of God." This video has made me reflect on my last few years, and think through the ways that I need to change my self talk so that I do not end up where the woman at 40 is. It's easy to initially laugh at the video, but in reality we're all so close to ending up in the same spot if we don't carefully watch and adjust what we are thinking and believing. I want to be proactive in my personal and professional life as enter this profession to (by God's grace) tell myself the truth!
ReplyDeleteThanks for contributing such an interesting post! Naturally, it is very endearing to see a little girl with such confidence and enthusiasm. Seeing the video made me ponder how my own thought life is different from hers and why. While I do not spend my time in distress over my appearance and abilities, neither do I hold the belief that "I can do anything good." As I've gotten older, I've realized that I don't need to do everything good. Rather, God has gifted me in special ways and I should use those gifts to the best of my ability.
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