Loving Yourself
Loving Yourself
We hear those inspirational quotes saying, “Love yourself, follow your heart, do what brings you joy; that’s all that matters, because you matter most” or something along those lines. I am all for loving yourself, but God's way. But before I say anything else, let’s dive into what God’s Word says about our heart. Jerimiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Matthew 15:19: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Now that you read these verses, what do you think you should do? Yep, your right. We should NOT follow our heart.
Now that we know this, we’re going to get into the part you probably do not want to hear; nowhere in the Bible does it say, “Love yourself”. God would rather us respect ourselves, become satisfied with the beautiful way God made us, and to love OTHERS. And by respecting ourselves we need to set up boundaries. Ah yes, the good old-fashioned boundaries. The word “boundaries” may sound ancient to you but, boundaries are not just restraining us from having fun, they are molding us into the wise, strong, and godly women we were created to be! Maybe some boundaries you may make are, waiting till marriage to stay pure, dating intentionally, using honoring words to guys, and wearing modest clothing/bathing suits. Those were just a few of boundaries we, as young Christian women could make. This is respecting yourself, when you set up boundaries to keep you from falling into the pit of temptation and to gear you on God’s path. The amazing thing about our God is even if we have disrespected our personal morals either by having sex before marriage, disobeying what God told you, or drifting away from Him etc. He still loves you and forgave you for anything you feel guilty for doing in your past. He can even use that hurt, guilt, and pain to grow your relationship with Him. That’s pretty amazing.
Before I go any further, I have something else to say that the Lord has put on my heart. Remember when I gave the example and said, “do whatever brings you joy”? Well, what if murdering people brings you joy? What if being unfaithful brings you joy? I’m not saying that you enjoy or even do those things, but these are, surprisingly, things people do enjoy. Like Matthew 15:19 said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” So my point is, do what makes our Father happy!
And what brings Him glory! In the Bible, God says often to love others. John 13:34 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." One way we can respect God, is by following this commandment to love others. It can be immensely hard to put others needs before our own. The definition of love says, "An intense feeling of deep affection." To possess a deep affection for others, can be hard. For some, it is easier because they have a special gift from God, but for the rest of us (including me) it is a struggle. I have to be mindful of loving others and putting their needs before my own. If you struggle with this like I do, pray that God will help you and make you more mindful of loving others.
I watched a YouTube video by "FarAwayDistance" and she was talking about when we make Christ our foundation, we have a solid foundation and our confidence in Christ will not shift because God never changes. If our foundation is in what guys or other people think, we will be let down because their views can change. If you struggle with self esteem just know that you are treasured and enough even when you do not feel like it. I know that sometimes it feels impossible to be loved because of the shame, how you feel about your appearance, or how others may treat you, but not one moment goes by that God does not cherish you.
And what brings Him glory! In the Bible, God says often to love others. John 13:34 says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." One way we can respect God, is by following this commandment to love others. It can be immensely hard to put others needs before our own. The definition of love says, "An intense feeling of deep affection." To possess a deep affection for others, can be hard. For some, it is easier because they have a special gift from God, but for the rest of us (including me) it is a struggle. I have to be mindful of loving others and putting their needs before my own. If you struggle with this like I do, pray that God will help you and make you more mindful of loving others.
I watched a YouTube video by "FarAwayDistance" and she was talking about when we make Christ our foundation, we have a solid foundation and our confidence in Christ will not shift because God never changes. If our foundation is in what guys or other people think, we will be let down because their views can change. If you struggle with self esteem just know that you are treasured and enough even when you do not feel like it. I know that sometimes it feels impossible to be loved because of the shame, how you feel about your appearance, or how others may treat you, but not one moment goes by that God does not cherish you.
What loving yourself really means is setting up godly boundaries, placing CHRIST first in your life, and accepting and loving how God made you and using that for His glory. God gave you your unique personality, heart, appearance, and gifts to use for His glory. Ask God to help you be satisfied with how God made you and love yourself how He intended.
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