WHAT STORY ARE YOU TELLING YOURSELF?

We have all heard “There are always two sides to every story”.

But the question today is “who is narrating your life story”? There are constant voices going off in our head and ours being the primary voice either speaking truth or lies to our self. We are constantly in conversation with ourselves and it is either adding value to or decreasing our “self-worth”.

In my years of running a drug rehab program, counseling my own children and being a Pastor who counsels and leads men, the story that we tell ourselves determines the attitude we harbor about our self worth. If our conversation about self is negative, harsh and condemning it is a result of low self-esteem, regrets and poor self-image. Sometimes as a result of unhealthy dysfunctional people who were guardians of us. Or it is simply our own voice spewing venomous perspectives from unkept promises to self and or personal goals we’ve failed to achieve.

? How do you view your essential self?

? What do you say to your essential self?

? Is it affirming or condemning? Why?

? What outside voices trump your own? Why?

? What messages and experiences are you regurgitating of others who did not have your best interest at heart?

? Where do you go to rebuild your self-image?

? How do you line up your self-worth with what God says about your identity and value?

These are important questions we all must come to grips with at some point in our lives if we are going to heal and progress toward what God has in store for our future. For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

But what do you believe? How is that belief played out in the conversations you have with yourself? Are you critical of yourself and skeptical of others? Are you quick to forgive or cast others out of your life?

Recently in a small group discussion the story of Joseph was being highlighted from our past weeks sermon. The title was “Save Me From Myself: Pain, Position & Posture”! The question was “Why was Joseph weeping so profusely upon seeing his brothers after well over a decade of absence from his life? Remember Joseph had a dream, a dream that cost him dearly as he was desired dead rather than alive. He was thrown into a pit, sold as a slave, sold a second time to a Officer in charge of Pharoah’s soldiers only to be falsely accused of infidelity, imprisoned unjustly, left behind by the baker and cup bearer in prison after assisting them with their dreams. Nine out of every ten people said, “Joseph was crying tears of anger, sadness, despair, animosity, and/or resentment. Only one said he was happy, elated and grateful for God bringing his dream to fruition. A dream that his own family had rejected and with thinking Joseph dead, had no hope of being saved by him. And now - all these years later - when the family is in great despair and need and as he is second in command. Joseph displays the wisdom, humility and spiritual sensitivity to honor God and appreciate the awesomeness of God who fulfills His word to His faithful and obedient son. But nine out of ten people only saw one side of the story of Joseph in the mist of his receiving his brothers back into his life. That is the story of bitterness. Why, because we are still harboring issues that have us repeatedly seeing life through the lens of pain instead of prosperity and promise. They were thinking about all the pain they’ve experienced and if this were them how they would respond. But there are two sides to every story, the story that has pain and the story that has promise. Pain focuses on the past and the propensity for its reoccurrence in each and every new relationship we teach ourselves to be on guard against. But the side of the story that is of promise requires a posture of surrendering to God and acknowledging and accepting His will being greater than our own. A Will that says “All things” work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.