We are overly critical, we doubt our own abilities, we are self-conscious around others, we dwell on our flaws, we disapprove of our appearance, we compare ourselves to others, we beat ourselves up when we fail, we lack confidence. We don’t love ourselves enough.
Why? Because we let other people’s opinions about us determine our value instead of putting our worth in Christ!
We have infinite value because we are CREATED beings, not just a random assortment of parts and personality qualities that were thrown together by a slot machine. We were once an idea; an idea conceived by the very same mind that thought up stars, oceans, mountains, animals, and everything in this vast universe that captivates us.
We were created with a heart-felt interest and great reverence. We are special. Everything from the shape of our face to the sound of our laugh is a masterpiece. God does not make mistakes! So who are we to look at our weaknesses and ask “why did you make me like this?” Instead, we should THANK him for how he made us! Because we know that it was out of love and for a purpose that is meant to prosper us. All of our gifts, personality traits, and even our life stories contribute to our intended function as part of the body of Christ; a body that cannot be as effective unless every person recognizes their unique role in it.
However, sometimes we have a hard time loving ourselves because of bad habits or traits we have acquired over time that weren’t a part of our intended being. Laziness, greediness, an addiction or a bad temper, guess what…God still loves us and so should we! By his grace he accepts us just as we are, and as we draw closer to him he will chip away those things to reveal our truest self that reflects his glory!
“So from now on, we regard no one from a wordly point of view. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17) If we view ourselves through the lens the world hands us, we will never love ourselves. We will be constantly drawn to compare ourselves to others, to put our worth in people’s hands, to gauge our significance by our successes and will never measure up. But by viewing ourselves as precious children of God who have been saved and are being transformed for a unique purpose, we will come to love ourselves more fully. We will believe that our significance doesn’t depend on our career, our success, our appearance or even our “good deeds”. We will know we are significant because we are loved by The King!