A long time ago, in the 90s or early 2000s, a young American preacher girl appeared on television. She was well-dressed, well-spoken, and good looking. But something she said during one of her sermons made us laugh. She was talking about the impact of parents’ words on the minds of children. She made a reference to herself and her own upbringing. She explained that at some point during her childhood, an authority figure spoke words that made her feel unattractive.
The young preacher girl, now in her early 20s perhaps, went on to explain that this stuck with her, and molded the way she thought about herself. She explained in detail how it affected her saying that no matter how many other people told her she was beautiful, she still felt unattractive. But one thing she said made us laugh: no matter how many guys I slept with…no matter how many compliments I got from strangers, because of the words spoken over me as a child, I still didn’t feel beautiful.
My sister and I took this young victim’s pain and made it our joke. We were just kids, and we didn’t understand the impact of words on the subconscious mind, especially the words of parents and other authority figures. “Look it’s the preacher girl who talks about how many men she slept with,” we would joke when her show came on.
Later on in life, however, when I came to discover how negative words spoken by parental figures affected my life, it wasn’t funny anymore. I can now feel this woman’s pain in the same way I feel my own pain. But there was something else she was teaching in that sermon that completely missed us back then – she sought the help of God to overcome those “spoken word curses.” And God never fails!
As parents, be extremely careful of the words you speak over your children’s life. Those words will have a lifelong impact on them affecting their behavior, self-esteem, decision making processes, and confidence.
