31 Days of Words for the Daily Dash-Day 12

My next phrase is critical to my well-being. Because, believe it or not, I can believe things that are not true - especially when I'm unsure of myself or I've had my feelings hurt. It's during those times that I definitely have to preach to myself more than I listen to myself. It's during those times that I must remember the following words.

Tell yourself the truth.

I credit my friend, Marla, with first saying these life saving words to me.  Do you have a Marla? Someone you can call any time with anything? They listen. They help. They tell you the truth. They love you no matter what. 

Friends for over 20 years, we have weathered a few ups and downs, twists and turns. We've spent a lot of those years encouraging each other in the choppy waters of parenting (she has 3 kids, I have 6). There have been a lot of opportunities to feel unsure of yourself. Sometimes, in tears and at the end of my parenting rope, I'd call Marla and blubber words along the lines of, "I'm ruining these kids!"

And Marla, sweet Marla, would say, "Shelley, tell yourself the truth. You are the parent God has chosen for your kids. They need you. You need them. God will give you the wisdom you need. Tell yourself the truth."

Such helpful words from such a helpful friend. Those words not only help me when I am unsure of myself, but also when someone I care about, like my kids, hurts my feelings. Away from the heat of the hurt, I know the hurt is rarely done on purpose. But in the middle of the hurt, I'm tempted to believe, "They don't really care about you. They don't even like you."  It's here I have to stop and tell myself the truth. Your kids do care about you. They are young, immature, and acting like kids.

Can you tell that this sentence is near and dear to my heart? It is my mantra on my hard parenting days.

Can you tell also that I'm thankful to Marla for first saying theses words to me? And can I tell you that I'm also thankful to God for Marla - her friendship, and her consistent truth telling in my life.

Marla and me, and our men