What Can I Do with These Voices in My Head?
I hear voices. You, too? Before you think I’m too crazy, let me clarify. I’m talking about those voices that start to play over and over again when we mess up, OR maybe they begin for you when you try to step out and do something bold, something a little extraordinary.
Here are a few of the things that my voices say to me:
- You are not qualified.
- Who do you think you are?
- No one cares about your writing.
- You are wasting your time.
- Are you really going to trust him?
- You are not a good enough mom/wife/friend.
- You’re wasting your talents.
- You don’t know enough.
Do you recognize any of these as a voice you hear sometimes, too? Yeah, I thought so.
I’m currently reading a book ~ Start ~ by Jon Acuff. He has shared some really great nuggets of truth so far about living with purpose. I’ve been highlighting passages, going back to re-read really profound statements. I’m learning a lot about setting priorities; that it takes time to build up experiences about which we can speak or to build a business around, and so much more.
But there is one particular idea that I have come across that has resonated with me in a special way. It is this idea of voices. We all hear them. It may be something a person in our life has said to us, or it could just come from fear and doubts of our own. No matter whose voice or where it came from, the enemy wants to use it to discourage us, to keep us from accomplishing our goals, from gaining confidence and changing our lives with new habits, thinking, and attitudes. His goal is to keep us from listening to THE voice, Jesus’ voice, and the truths He shares about us.
In his book, Jon Acuff tells us to “ignore the dragons.” He further states, “Stories without dragons are boring. You don’t get ‘happily ever after’ unless at some point it was in doubt, unless the whole adventure was in question. Success was anyone’s guess. Survival was up for grabs.”
I really like these few sentences. They’re so true! We all have dragons to face each day. They may come in the form of family members or neighbors, or possibly how we second-guess our abilities to parent our children, to educate them, to love our husbands, to start that business. Our voices try to tell us that we are not good enough, that we couldn’t possibly succeed, and that we may as well not even try because we will get nowhere.
However, with the very first step you take on the road of awesome, fear and doubt stir from their slumber. The minute the purpose door creaks its hinges and you push it open, the pointy ears of fear and doubt perk up. ~Jon Acuff
What can I do with these voices in my head?
I’ve been thinking about this, and to be completely honest, this is something that is almost a daily battle for me, though over the years I have gained a bit more (God) confidence and faith in my God-given abilities. So here are some ways that I combat the voices in my head, and you can, too!
- Immerse yourself in Scripture. This is key. Replacing the negative voices that are not true with God’s word which is truth will do the most to combat the voices you hear from society and your past. Start with Psalm 139:13 and search from there to find verses that tell you of God’s love and purposes for you.
- Write down your ideas. Taking notes helps me to remember later what I wanted to write about, and then I organize my ideas and prioritize them. This also gives me a little boost when the negativity tries to push in, because I have something right there in black and white to show that I have made some progress.
- And as Jon urges us, just start…..do the thing that you want to do…..begin that book, create a business plan, spend more time with your kids and husband. This is another step toward meeting your goals and will go far in silencing the enemy’s voice in your head.
- Find a support system. You may find this through church friends, a homeschool co-op, or a local MOPS group. Finding other women who love the Lord, are living the same life-stage as you, and seek to edify you and others will do wonders for your sense of worth. There will be no room for negative voices, and you will also have a place where you can act as a lifter of heads yourself.
Do you experience voices in your head, too? Tell me how you combat them and move forward in God’s truth and grace in confidence!
