Do the internal or external messages you receive ever have you questioning your belovedness?
You know the ones.
… the ones that you just can’t seem to stop hearing play on repeat in your mind.
The ones that say:
- You aren’t smart enough.
- You aren’t beautiful enough.
- You aren’t gifted enough.
- You aren’t…. enough.
I know that these messages I’ve received from others or that I’ve said to myself are difficult to dismiss sometimes. They pop back into my head at the most inopportune moments and derail my progress towards being the person God has created me to be.
Does that happen to you too?
So, what do we do about these pesky messages?
In my latest podcast conversation with Stephanie Clouatre Davis, she reminded me of a wonderful tool born from the wisdom of Ignatian Spirituality.
In the discernment of spirits, St Ignatius says we can and should dismiss the messages that don’t lead us closer to God and to the person God is calling us to be. Quoting Fr Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V., Stephanie reminded me of the steps to doing just that:
BE AWARE – What are the messages I’m receiving internally or externally that have me questioning who I am or what I am capable of becoming?
UNDERSTAND – Are these messages coming from the voice of love? Are they from God? Ignatius would say: “Are they from the good spirit or the evil spirit?”
TAKE ACTION – Dismiss the messages that run opposed to what we know the voice of love and God to say in the deepest parts of ourselves.
I love this simple way of releasing ourselves from the messages that keep us from knowing just how loved we are.
Will you try it with me?
Be aware – Understand- Take Action
And begin to let the voice of love be the loudest voice you hear.
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Listen to Loved As You Are – An Ignatian Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Frequently during each day I get messages from my husband that I am wrong, I am messy, I am stubborn, I am critical. He is Dr. Jeckll and Mr. Hyde – saying “I love you” one minute and telling me I’m wrong the next. Too many messages to just ignore. Because of this I have never been able to really KNOW that God loves me. I say the words but they don’t reach my heart. I’ve prayed endlessly. What can I do?
I’m so sorry I missed this comment when it came in. But if you come back – I have always been drawn to writers like Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and Richard Rohr who endlessly write about ways to connect with the foundation of the God who loves you as you are… who created you for some unique purpose. They also help me see that sometimes if the messages of others conflict with the messages of God, I need to re-evaluate the hold others messages have on me. I also think having a spiritual director to help you unpack those moments where you felt God present is helpful. https://www.sdicompanions.org/ has a way to find a spiritual director if you don’t know of one in your own community.