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How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.  They cannot be numbered! Psalm 139:17 (NLT)

Sometimes it takes just a word to completely ruin a day, an event or even an entire life. The Apostle James says that if we never stumble in our words we will be perfect in every way. Paul reminds us that the tongue is like a rudder on a ship. Small in stature but huge in effectiveness.

Oftentimes the words themselves aren’t the culprit. The voice inflection of the speaker and their body language can relay unintended or intended messages with more weight than the words themselves. Other times we may misinterpret what they are saying and feel under attack, or our mood of the day may cause us to take what was said completely wrong.

The most important thing we can do to guard against letting verbal attack affect us is to have a sure confidence in who we are and the power we have to determine our attitude. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your permission.”

These words carry much wisdom. The story is told about a couple of business men who were walking the streets of New York. One stopped for a newspaper and some coffee. The proprietor was crabby, rude and angry. The business man was unaffected and pleasant. As they walked away his friend asked him, “How could you continue to be so pleasant to that angry, rude man?” The businessman replied, “I made a decision years ago that no person will ever change how I feel about life and about me.”

When we live with the realization that God thinks of us continually, it makes the attacks of other people fall meaningless to the side. We may feel like we are criticized for the work we do or the money we make. We may be made fun of for our hair or the clothes we wear. We can feel like we are fat or ugly or don’t match up to those around us. Those are all lies.

God thinks of you often and every thought He has is a pleasant one. He loves you just the way you are. Don’t let the negative words and actions of other people tell you otherwise. Don’t let the bad moods of angry or unhappy people change  you.

When  you feel attacked by others (or yourself) take action! First, remember that no matter what anyone else says, God loves you just the way you are. He loves your looks, your money, the work you do, the way you dress. He loves you.

Secondly, remember that no one can MAKE you feel bad about yourself. Only you can give them permission for that. Refuse to allow anyone anymore to make you feel  inferior. When you start to feel down about yourself check item number one! (God loves you and thinks pleasant thoughts of you often.)

Lastly, when criticism comes evaluate it. “Is there something I can do better or is this unhappy person just bent on making the whole world as miserable as they are?” Work to change areas that can be improved. Refuse to let false accusations or angry people change how you feel about  yourself.

PRAYER; Father God. I thank you for the promise of the Psalmist. What a fantastic thing to realize. You, the creator of the universe, love me so much that you think pleasant thought of me all day long. WOW! I’m so blessed. Please empower me to refuse to let negative attacks affect me. I’m your child. That’s all that matters. Amen.