Self-Sabotage: The Other EnemySýnishorn

Movie Night, Anyone? 

Self-sabotage works because it makes sense. It is only natural to affirm our fears with bad experiences from our past. For the person that has been hurt by others, it makes sense that trust does not come easy. No one would chastise an entrepreneur who is hesitant to take another leap after the last one led to near financial ruin. Our experiences are real, and they become like movies that feature our failures. Those failures fuel our doubts, which fuel our cynicism, which leaves us paralyzed. 

It is all understandable, and believe it or not, God gets it. Hebrews 4:15 reminds us that Christ, as our high priest, sympathizes with us. The question then is, if we have these movies playing in our hearts and minds, how do we move forward? 

We must recognize that we have an option to choose a different movie. Imagine your favorite movie theater for a second. What would happen if, for years, it only showed the same films? At first, it might be intriguing, but soon that theater would go out of business. People would grow bored, critical, and disillusioned. Competitors would lure their customers away by offering something different.

Consider that your mind is your movie theater, and your experiences your films. At any given moment, different experiences are calling out to you—some bad, but some good and hopeful. Only you can decide which theater to go to, and which movie to watch. It is not in your best interest to continuously replay the bad film over and over again. By choosing to replay the good, you can take back your power and begin to rewrite the narrative for your life. 

Reflection Questions: 

1. Is there a hurtful experience that has been replaying in my mind? 

2. What are two scriptures that affirm God’s promises about my past that I can begin to speak over my life?