Let no one despise you.

Titus 2:15

Everybody hates me, nobody likes me, I’m going out to eat worms. This little chant was one we children used to say when we felt sorry for ourselves. As adults we’re a little less dramatic; we just say,”I’m worthless.” But both the childhood and adult sayings are lies we must confront.

I often ask my clients to provide support for their self-accusations. For instance, I asked Kay to prove her contention that she was worthless. It was as if she had rehearsed her speech for years. She proceeded to tell me about being molested from childhood through adolescence, about being addicted  to sex, drugs, and alcohol. I then said to Kay, “I’m not convinced. Does doing worthless things make a person worthless?” She answered, “No.” Then she began to understand what I was getting at. She said, “Maybe, I’m not worthless.”

Correcting the lie of worthlessness was important because as long as Kay believed she was worthless, she would continue to do things that made her feel worthless. When she learned to repent  and to forgive herself and others and to replace her lies about herself with truth, her actions began to change.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see the lies I’m telling myself. Thank you for being a dependable source of truth.