Loving Self

While growing up, I remember stammering as a toddler. I didn't know why I struggled with completing most of my sentences. It was always a chore airing my opinions... and I would rather succumb to silence than talk. Being teased by other children and adults (who should know better), made me feel inadequate and different. It made me crawl into a shell, a space I could find solace, all by myself. This space wasn't a physical place. But rather an imaginary location. I can be anywhere and be lost in my own thoughts and imaginations. I was happy here! Here in my 'escape world". 

As I grew older, the stammering subsided, but it always rears its ugly head whenever I got angry or hurt. Once again, I could barely force a few sentences outta my mouth. Imagine being insulted by another kid and everything I wanted to say comes out sounding like... like a bunch of gibberish. And other kids would laugh and laugh. I hated those situations. So, I avoided them. Invariably making me kinda a loner or some kid with fewer friends than I would have liked.

My 'escape world' became my paradise! I could go there anytime I want. I could say whatever I wanted and to whomever. And no one laughed at me. I was simply a 'god' in my own world. I created characters and gave them families, jobs, friendships businesses- basically, a life. My storytelling gift was nurtured in that world, long before I began to put them down in paper and ink.

As a teenager, the stammering was almost a thing of the past, but it still shows up once in a while. I still didn't like it. But, I resigned to living with it. At that time, I had already relocated my 'escape world' from my imaginations to scraps of paper that I turned into novel-like-books! People don't laugh at me anymore, mainly because they wanted to be lost in the enchanted world I created in the stories in my books. https://selar.co/m/serahiyare 

It's 2024. Do I still stammer? Yes. But only when I am upset. It seldom shows up now... And I am fine with it. Though I still do not like it.

What don't you like about yourself? Is it your body? Your handwriting? The shape of your head? Ears? Do you feel your nose are too large or too small? Or, do you stammer too? You don't like the sound of your voice, do you? Whatever it is... it might just be the very thing that God will use to launch you into your land of more than enough!

Remember, you were created in His image and likeness. Try as much as you can to love yourself. God loves you immensely more! 😍 John.3:16. Isa.43:4, " Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, And I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life."NKJV.