When I was young, I was called stupid and was abused in my own home. Sure, I heard some good comments, too, but I didn’t know how to discern which comments were actually true. I felt worthless. I carried insecurity into my adulthood, and it hurt my relationships.

Throughout your life, many people will have their opinions of you. Some will like you. Some will not. It’s hard not to feel rejected or unworthy when people turn on you or when you fail. People’s opinions and your own opinion of yourself are simply that—opinions! Opinions are subjective, not God’s truth.

When you are a child of God, the only thing that is true about you is what God says about you. Paul said, “Let God be true, and every man a liar” (Romans 3:4 NIV).

To help children and adults quickly recognize the difference between someone’s opinion or general facts and God’s absolute truth, we developed the game “Truth or Trash.”

Truth is what God says. Trash is anything He does not say. Trash can include facts and opinions. After you have played the game, practice discerning the difference between truth and trash in your daily life. We all encounter negative talk. Ask your children, “What did you hear today that was truth? What was trash? How do you know?”

Before you know it, you all will be able quickly to discern truth from trash! As you recognize trash and replace it with truth, words will no longer burden you.

As you identify trash in your own life, please share with me how you have replaced it with God’s truth!