“I’m my own worst enemy.”
Isn’t that
how the saying goes?
Yet, for a
lot of us, perhaps, there’s a more accurate phrase by which we live:
“I’m my own
best enemy.”
We get a
payoff for self-loathing, judging and berating ourselves.
“But
mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully
are multiplied.”
Psalms
38:19
It can give
us a license to continue our self-destructive ways. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’re so
awful, so unworthy, so ugly, so unlovable. Therefore no one, not others, not
God and not ourselves should require anything more of us, right?
Wrong.
But we love
to revel in being wrong.
And, come on,
it takes far less hard work to hate
than love, to reject than accept, to destroy rather than to build.
So, we often
take this path of least resistance. We create and nurture our own best enemies,
be they addictive behaviors, disorders or unhealthy choices.
However, it’s
not hopeless.
After all, we
have God- and His perspective on
enemies:
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, ‘Thou
shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.’ But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children
of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil
and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love
them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even
the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
heaven is perfect.”
Matthew
5:43-48
“But
I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And
unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that
taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that
asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And
as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye
love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that
love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?
for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to
receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as
much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing
again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the
Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore
merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
Luke
6:27-36
I know, I
know. It’s a tall order. I guess these scriptures fall under the heading of Isaiah
55…
“For
my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than
the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your
thoughts.”
Isaiah
55:8-9
His thoughts,
our thoughts. But here’s the things about God’s thoughts: there’s nothing enemy
about ‘em…
“For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace
and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah
29:11
So, nine
times out of ten, if there is an
enemy in our midst, it’s coming from us. We are our own worst/best enemy.
And again,
that would be completely hopeless, were it not for one thing: God (Thank God)!
And His
different perspective on the enemy issue. God doesn’t seemed to be intimidated
by it at all.
He appears to
have a plan, even while our enemies, outside ones or self-inflicted, are
creating havoc in our lives.
“Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my
head with oil; my cup runneth over.”
Psalms
23:5
In fact,
there’s even some built-in reconciliation going on there, in spite of us…
“For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”
Romans
5:10
With that being said, however, there’s still
some work which needs to be done on our part; we’re responsible for our
thoughts and their impact on us:
“For as he thinketh in his heart, so
is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
“Death and life are in the power of
the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.”
Proverbs 18:21
It’s not
entirely up to us; after all, there’s God. But we DO need to accept
responsibility for our part in the behaviors.
We need to
get honest with the unflattering reality.
And then, it’s up to us to choose what we’ll do from then on…
“I
call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”
Deuteronomy
30:19
“Finally,
brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be
any praise, think on these things.”
Philippians
4:8
And so, once
again, concerning our self-destructive thoughts and behaviors, be
they
addictions, disorders or compulsions, we can purposely concentrate on viewing
ourselves differently. We can choose NOT to be our own worst/best enemy.
As one
recovered from disordered eating, these affirmations are just a sampling of
positive affirmations.
Body
Image Links
20 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR BODY!!
Compiled by Margo Maine, Ph. D.
Compiled by Margo Maine, Ph. D.
- Think of your body as the
vehicle to your dreams. Honor it. Respect it. Fuel it.
- Create a list of all the
things your body lets you do. Read it and add to it often.
- Become aware of what your
body can do each day. Remember it is the instrument of your life, not just
an ornament.
- Create a list of people
you admire: people who have contributed to your life, your community, or
the world. Consider whether their appearance was important to their
success and accomplishments.
- Walk with your head held
high, supported by pride and confidence in yourself as a person.
- Don't let your weight or
shape keep you from activities that you enjoy.
- Wear comfortable clothes
that you like and that feel good to your body.
- Count your blessings, not
your blemishes.
- Think about all the
things you could accomplish with the time and energy you currently spend
worrying about your body and appearance. Try one!
- Be your body's friend and
supporter, not its enemy.
- Consider this: your skin
replaces itself once a month, your stomach lining every five days, your
liver every six weeks, and your skeleton every three months. Your body is
extraordinary--begin to respect and appreciate it.
- Every morning when you
wake up, thank your body for resting and rejuvenating itself so you can
enjoy the day.
- Every evening when you go
to bed, tell your body how much you appreciate what it has allowed you to
do throughout the day.
- Find a method of exercise
that you enjoy and do it regularly. Don't exercise to lose weight or to
fight your body. Do it to make your body healthy and strong and because it
makes you feel good.
- Think back to a time in
your life when you felt good about your body. Tell yourself you can feel
like that again, even in this body at this age.
- Keep a list of 10
positive things about yourself--without mentioning your appearance. Add to
it!
- Put a sign on each of
your mirrors saying, "I'm beautiful inside and out."
- Choose to find the beauty
in the world and in yourself.
- Start saying to yourself,
"Life is too short to waste my time hating my body this way."
- Eat when you are hungry.
Rest when you are tired. Surround yourself with people that remind you of
your inner strength and beauty.
Reprinted
with permission from the National Eating Disorders Association. For more
information: www.NationalEatingDisorders.org.
Scripture
gets right to the point…
“What
shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us?”
Romans
8:31
God’s not our
enemy. But if WE are our own best adversary, what are WE going to do about that?
Copyright © 2016 by Sheryle Cruse
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