You Are What You Eat

You know the phrase you are what you eat
Let’s twist it around a little bit
Consider the phrase you are what you’re called

For example, you are called beautiful
Therefore you are beautiful
You are called a great athlete
Therefore you are a great athlete

Sounds a little ridiculous right
Just because someone calls me a great athlete
Doesn’t mean I can automatically throw a touchdown pass spot on sixty yards down the field
Just because someone says I am beautiful
Doesn’t mean I can go stand on stage and win a beauty pageant

So clearly the phrase you are what you’re called
Should be considered inaccurate and not true
Just because you are called something doesn’t mean that is what you are

Up until a few days ago I would have probably argued this point very strongly
But you see the examples I gave you were positive ones
Uplifting and encouraging descriptions of people

But what if someone called you stupid
Or a terrible athlete
Or a trouble maker
Or a horrible friend
Or unloved
Or friendless
Or worthless

Do these things define you?
Do these words become who you are?

Again up until a few days ago I would have said that clearly they don’t
Just because someone calls you those things doesn’t mean that is who you are

But a recent conversation has completely changed my opinion on this
I sat and listened without saying much
But the words I heard caught me so off guard
And were piercing to my heart

She literally said she believed she was stupid
She told me no one like her
And why did she say these things
Because after hearing them time after time
She just took on that role
She let them become her self-identity

As the chatter stopped and the only noise was the rumble of the tires on the road
My mind was racing with how words can so easily bind us
How we begin to believe the lies

And then that place in my gut started making me feel nauseous
The words I was hearing her say were more than a reality check for me
They were feelings of guilt and shame and pain

Oh how many times I’ve been on the end of destroying people
How often my words have been negative and demoralizing to others worth
My words have cut and pierced others
I’ve brought pain and hurt without blinking an eye

Oh how I never want to go back to that
God did not give me words to cut others
But to uplift and encourage and show self-worth

Call someone stupid enough times
And in their minds they will genuinely believe they are stupid
Tell someone no one likes them over and over
And eventually they will buy into that lie and believe they are worthless
Tell someone their dreams are irresponsible and will never work
And sooner or later they will stop dreaming all together

Your words are valuable

important

defining

significant

weighty

Not just to you
But to those you are saying them to

If the words you are calling other people were words others used to describe you
Would you want to crawl under a rock and hide or smile a big smile?