Speak life. Two words that seem easy to say but putting them into practice is a totally different issue. I often find it is easier to practice speaking life over others before myself. Because, if I am being truly honest, it is difficult to speak kindly about myself because I am acutely aware of all my faults and flaws. I get to see them up close and personal on a daily basis. And yet I know that I am a child of God. I know that I am the daughter of a King. I know I am loved, cherished, and cared for deeply by my Heavenly Father, my family and friends. They speak life over me daily, so why should I have such a difficult time doing the same?

Speaking life has always been challenging because I have always struggled with feeling like I was good enough, tall enough, talented enough, pretty enough, a good daughter, wife, mom, sister, friend, and the list goes on. Learning more about my personality and God given gifts and talents has helped me to realize that this is something that I struggle with and therefore I need to pay attention to daily. Since I have become more aware of my tendencies, I have started taking action to combat the lies the enemy was trying to make me believe. I have started confessing life and bravery over myself and my family. 

I came across this statement in a reading the other day: “You cannot be brave and speak poorly about yourself.” When I first read this statement I did not really agree with it because I have done plenty of brave things without changing how I spoke to myself. But then when I really sat with this statement I realized it is true. Bravery is more than doing things in the face of fear. It is how you carry yourself. It is how you speak to yourself and others. It is how you react to circumstances. It is taking a step of faith not knowing how it will work out in the end. 

Not much in life can focus your prayers and the words that come from your mouth like trials. In my life it was Jason’s big health challenge. In the heat of battle, the facts swirling, and the medical jargon being force fed to me (someone without a medical degree) with every procedure and shift change meant I had to find that calm and peaceful center. Those days, and really everyday since, my calm and peaceful center is and has been my Heavenly Father. He showed up for me daily. His presence was evident in every decision I had to make, every report I received from a nurse or doctor, in every procedure that needed to be done, and I can say it was even evident in Jason’s passing. But it didn’t just happen “magically”. I had to speak words of life, of peace and calmness. I had scriptures and confessions that I would read over Jason, over me and our family. I read them in that ICU room, at home and even in the car. There wasn’t a moment where I allowed anything other than peace to be present. 

I have often wondered why it took this event for me to truly understand why it is so important to speak life.  I have been a Christian since I was a child. I grew up in a church that believed in speaking life. So why wasn’t this evident in my life before? I think it was, but it was an underused muscle. Life was easy. We were happy and all was good. No need to do major workouts right? Wrong. I have been going to the gym and lifting weights for a while now and I have learned something: lifting weights means that you need to work on not just the major muscles involved in the lifts but you also have to work on building up the supporting muscles. Meaning that you may not use every muscle group everyday but you should be developing them so that when you need them they are ready! Same goes for our lives. I need to work on my “speaking life” muscle so that when it is needed it is built up and ready to work! 

So, speak life over yourself, speak life over your neighbor and begin to really see yourself the way your Heavenly Father sees you. You are a beautiful (or handsome) work of art that He created and gave specific personality traits, gifts, and talents that your family and friends need daily. Go be brave and speak life!