Words have power. God used words to create the world. The Bible, one of our key access points to God, is full of words. Mean words, nice words, pretty words, loving words, hateful words, big words, small words, they’re a part of our lives. I’m utterly fascinated by the power and beauty of words. As a writer and a speaker, I like to think I’m especially aware of the impact words have on people, but the other day I was completely caught off guard.
I have a friend who’s a couple years older than me who’s a beautiful model of what it’s like to live for Christ on earth, and we exchange prayer requests. The other day I was telling her about some battles I’m fighting, and she ended her response with these words: “You are powerful.” Wow. That stuck. To be honest, I don’t remember anything else she responded with, but those three words bounced around my mind for days. You are powerful. I can’t help but think that while all words have power, “You are” statements have a special kind of power. Like, a Captain America with his shield, Percy Jackson in the ocean, Hermione in the library kind of power. There’s something special about directly referring to a person as an adjective, or a verb, that strikes straight into the heart. It cuts through all pretense. It’s direct. It’s not always good.
We’ve all been told some type of “You are” statement. Let’s be real, they don’t all make us feel like Percy Jackson at the center of a hurricane. They make us feel more like pre super serum Steve Rogers getting beat up in the alley. Maybe it sounded something like this:
You are ugly.
You are fat.
You are unimportant.
You are irrelevant.
You are stupid.
You are untalented.
You are a failure.
You are incompetent.
You are __________.
Fill in the blank. In one form or another, we’ve all been told things about ourselves that tear us down, break our hearts, destroy our confidence. No matter who it was, it hurts. Maybe it was your friend. Or the mean girl. Or your significant other. Or your parents. Or maybe, maybe it was you. Often, we’re our own worst critics. But newsflash: the “You are” statements don’t have to stop there. Let me introduce you to some “You are” statements that are true to you, no matter who you are.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
You are a child of the King. (1 John 3:1)
You are redeemed. (Isaiah 43:1)
You are chosen for this time. (Esther 4:14)
You are set apart. (1 Peter 2:9)
You are loved. (Jeremiah 31:3)
You are being fought for. (Exodus 14:14)
You are freed. (John 8:32)
You are _____________.
Friends, God speaks the truth about who you are. The positive “You are” statements can be more true to you, such as “You are funny” or “You are organized” or “You are ambitious,” but the really, truly important ones come from Scripture. I want to challenge you. Every day, for ten days, write down one or two positive “you are” statements that describe you. They can be biblical, they can be personal, they can come from your friends. It’s important to rely on those who love us when we can’t love ourselves, but it’s also important to learn to truly love and value who we are. If negative “you are” statements pop into your mind, write those down too. Then crumple up the paper and throw them away. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Satan’s lies are no match for God’s truth. Go. Speak truth. To you, to those you care about, to the world.
My friend, you are powerful.
I have a friend who’s a couple years older than me who’s a beautiful model of what it’s like to live for Christ on earth, and we exchange prayer requests. The other day I was telling her about some battles I’m fighting, and she ended her response with these words: “You are powerful.” Wow. That stuck. To be honest, I don’t remember anything else she responded with, but those three words bounced around my mind for days. You are powerful. I can’t help but think that while all words have power, “You are” statements have a special kind of power. Like, a Captain America with his shield, Percy Jackson in the ocean, Hermione in the library kind of power. There’s something special about directly referring to a person as an adjective, or a verb, that strikes straight into the heart. It cuts through all pretense. It’s direct. It’s not always good.
We’ve all been told some type of “You are” statement. Let’s be real, they don’t all make us feel like Percy Jackson at the center of a hurricane. They make us feel more like pre super serum Steve Rogers getting beat up in the alley. Maybe it sounded something like this:
You are ugly.
You are fat.
You are unimportant.
You are irrelevant.
You are stupid.
You are untalented.
You are a failure.
You are incompetent.
You are __________.
Fill in the blank. In one form or another, we’ve all been told things about ourselves that tear us down, break our hearts, destroy our confidence. No matter who it was, it hurts. Maybe it was your friend. Or the mean girl. Or your significant other. Or your parents. Or maybe, maybe it was you. Often, we’re our own worst critics. But newsflash: the “You are” statements don’t have to stop there. Let me introduce you to some “You are” statements that are true to you, no matter who you are.
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
You are a child of the King. (1 John 3:1)
You are redeemed. (Isaiah 43:1)
You are chosen for this time. (Esther 4:14)
You are set apart. (1 Peter 2:9)
You are loved. (Jeremiah 31:3)
You are being fought for. (Exodus 14:14)
You are freed. (John 8:32)
You are _____________.
Friends, God speaks the truth about who you are. The positive “You are” statements can be more true to you, such as “You are funny” or “You are organized” or “You are ambitious,” but the really, truly important ones come from Scripture. I want to challenge you. Every day, for ten days, write down one or two positive “you are” statements that describe you. They can be biblical, they can be personal, they can come from your friends. It’s important to rely on those who love us when we can’t love ourselves, but it’s also important to learn to truly love and value who we are. If negative “you are” statements pop into your mind, write those down too. Then crumple up the paper and throw them away. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life. Satan’s lies are no match for God’s truth. Go. Speak truth. To you, to those you care about, to the world.
My friend, you are powerful.