Thought Closet

There I was divorced at the young age of 22. Who in the world will ever want me, I am damaged goods I cried. I felt as though I had a big “D” written on my forehead for everyone to see. Having recently left an abusive marriage my self-esteem was in complete shambles. When you have someone hurl verbal assaults at your identity/character almost daily for a couple of years you slowly start to believe and identify with those lies. I had allowed a man I loved and trusted to completely skew my identity of who I was in Christ.

Unwanted, unloved, unworthy, dirty, damaged, broken beyond repair, not pretty enough, not smart enough…back then I would have read every one of these words and said “yep, that’s me!” Although I may not have said it out loud I kept these words in my thought closet and I would wear them like an old comfy t-shirt. Maybe you have or currently read these words and automatically relate to them. Maybe these are labels you have allowed other people to give you or perhaps you have given them to yourself. Whatever the case, what we store in our thought closet MATTERS! It matters to the God who created you in HIS image (Genesis 1:27) and who calls you HIS daughter (1 John 3:1a). So let me ask you, sweet friend, what’s in your thought closet? What are you saying to yourself when you are in a crowded room, alone in your car, or looking in the mirror at home? Whose voice are you believing as truth? If it doesn’t line up with the Word of God then it is a LIE and you need to shut it down.

Philippians 4:8 tell us:

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” If your Heavenly Father would not say it about you then you shouldn’t either! Believe me, I am talking directly to myself when I say this. I am still a work in progress when it comes to my thought closet but that is the beauty of our Jesus. He doesn’t just leave us in the trenches and count us a lost cause; He is constantly refining and equipping us. After removing myself from the toxic marriage I was in and being able to find solace in the safety of the home I grew up in, and with my family by my side for support, the Lord started to renew my thought closet. He gave me the strength and tools to replace the lies with HIS truth. I would read, meditate, and write down scripture then post it all around my bedroom/bathroom so every morning and every night I could be intentional in reminding myself of who HE says I am. It wasn’t immediate and took effort on my part but with time HIS truth started to seep into the dark, desolate places of my heart and mind.

Sweet friend, God wants to do the same thing for you. Whether you believe it or not you are LOVED and CHERISHED simply because you belong to HIM! There is absolutely nothing you could do to maximize or minimize His love for you. You alone are ENOUGH! HE says you are ACCEPTED (Ephesians 1:6), CHOSEN (John 15:16) and as a believer, you are a NEW CREATION in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). So read it, write it down, shout it, live it out, and allow Him to transform your thought closet for HIS glory and your good.