Love is in the air! For many this Valentine’s season is a time to celebrate the beauty of love with friends, family or a significant other. For others this season may be a lonely one. Wherever you are this month, I want to share with you a practical way you can LOVE yourself. Loving yourself is not selfish, rather it is Biblical. How can you love others well, if you do not love yourself?
Even Jesus said it, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
With love being the premise of this month, I’m actually studying 1 & 2 Corinthians where Paul talks about love a whole bunch! Without love, life is dull and meaningless. Before understanding how to love ourselves, we must first understand how God loves us.
Proof of God’s love towards us is everywhere! I mean can you feel the breath in your lungs? What a wondrous sign of God’s love and generosity. He made us in His image and looks at us as if He were looking at His son, Jesus. Because He first loved us, we can love others.
“For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten son; for whomsoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
A primary way we can LOVE ourselves is by understanding the way God see’s us and then start looking at ourselves in that same way.
SEE YOURSELF THE WAY GOD SEES YOU.
You are loved.
You are cherished.
You are chosen.
You are forgiven.
You are made in His image.
You are set apart.
Girl, you are royalty in the eyes of God!
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Knowing your worth and value is critical when learning to love yourself. I will be transparent and say that learning my worth and value has been a journey. I haven’t always loved myself the way I do now. I wasn’t always as confident as I am now. The relationships I had with people in the past weren’t the healthiest. I’ve been walked over one too many times. There were times I put my value and worth into relationships I had no business being in. But let me tell you, I learned the hard way. I learned that my worth can’t and never will come from anyone but Jesus Christ.
So sister, let me encourage you in this season of highlighting LOVE. Love yourself like Jesus would. Cherish who you are. Remain steadfast in learning about the way God sees you. You will learn this by spending time with Him in prayer, worship and in His word.
