Spiritual Life

Overcoming

I was reading my inspirational booklet when my attention was caught by this statement, “The words we speak to and about each other – whether true or false, loving or hateful – have an impact on how we perceive our selfworth, and the effects can linger. For better or worse, they tend to last a lifetime. It’s no surprise then, that Scripture warns us repeatedly of the tongue’s power.”

I agree with this statement, having been a victim of unkind tongues during my childhood. I was basically shy and insecure.

I had a very low self esteem and poor self-image. I tried to dig into the reasons behind my feelings and behavior and I realized that the negative comments I received from others made a dent on the image I had of myself. I was often told that I was an ugly duckling and the ugliest among the Soriano women. I was dark-skinned and strangers coming to our house often asked the help, “Whose daughter is she?”, pointing to me. Often times I was verbally bullied by playmates who often times say that I was dark and ugly because I was picked up from the trash bin, when I was a baby. These words were hurtful and I think it was the cause of my inferiority complex early in life.

These words written by Dr. Charles F. Stanley reminded me of how I was able to overcome that feeling of inferiority. At an early age Dr. Stanley also suffered from