Do you ever talk to yourself?
I think most of us have some kind of internal conversation going on all day long. I know I do. And I’ve noticed that mine is not always very encouraging.
Sometimes I replay mistakes. Sometimes I focus on what I should have done better. Sometimes the things I say to myself are things I would never say to somebody else.
That’s one reason Psalm 103 stood out to me.
David starts by talking to his own soul: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”
Then he starts reminding himself of what is true about God. He forgives. He heals. He redeems. He shows loving kindness and mercy. He satisfies us with good things.
It made me think about how important it is to have God’s Word stored up in my heart, because sooner or later, I’m going to speak to myself from whatever is already in there.
If my heart is full of fear, shame, frustration, or comparison, that will probably shape the way I talk to myself. But if I keep filling my heart with the truth of who God is and what He has done, I have something better to come back to.
Psalm 103:3-5 says, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, who satisfies you with good things.”
I need reminders like that.
Maybe being kinder to myself does not start with trying to come up with nicer things to say. Maybe it starts with filling my heart with God’s truth so that when my thoughts start talking, they have something better to say.