God's Love

  There came a time in my life when I had to admit to myself that my wrong thinking and destructive, negative patterns toward myself and God were getting me nowhere. I began reading, researching, praying, and asking God a lot of questions, and it seemed as if he took me by the hand and started leading me toward the right answers.

I knew I had to start loving myself, but I also had to start believing that God loved me completely. This was evidenced by the dark times I survived and the opportunities to grow as a Christian. I wasn't alone through those years; God was right with me, Jesus was right with me, and the Holy Spirit was right with me. To me, that's love. Once I understood that He was not the God of my childhood, always watching for chances to punish me or to be exceedingly disappointed in me, I could see who He was. I could relax and begin to enjoy His presence.

I encourage you to do the same today. Stop believing the lies the world tells you about yourself, and believe God loves you. Ask Him to show you! Believe you can be renewed and redeemed. That's his business. That's His nature. That is who He is. Listen to God's voice, not the voices of other people, especially if they are unkind, manipulating, or anything else that doesn't sit right with you.

I began adjusting my mind by thinking of all the times God showed up in my life. I dwelled on them and replaced all negative voices with these memories. In the past, I had a habit of recollecting the bad times rather than the good ones. I tended to crumple up the good times like old pieces of paper and throw them out, letting the darker things dominate my thinking. Changing this was not easy. I had to constantly monitor my attitude, stop the bad ones in their tracks, and replace them with good things.

Paul said in Philippians 4:8, Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things.

I promise you will feel better, your mind will begin to feel better, and your attitude will improve. If it helps you, list happy memories of your life, look at them daily, and look at pictures of your parents, children, and friends. These are all proof of God's love.

Luke 9:62 No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.

That's a good verse. If you're always looking back, you'll miss all of the good things of the present and future. You'll miss serving an incredible God and His Kingdom.

Try it!

Denise

Self-Love

I don't think you can love others if you don't love yourself first. Someone once asked me, "How can I love anyone else when I don't even love myself?" It shocked me because I had never heard anyone say that before.

Loving yourself isn't self-indulgence; it's essential to being human. It's what God expects. You don't have to be perfect to love yourself, and you don't have to spend your life trying to be good enough to love yourself. You have to start where you're at.

I didn't understand when I was young that God's love was unconditional. I didn't appreciate His loving nature. I was more familiar with an angry, judging God. Over the years, He has shown me genuine kindness. So, I want you to know that you are wrong if you think God doesn't love you because of your mistakes, who you are, what you look like, or where you are from.

Love is God. He is infinite love!

Mark 12:31 says to love your neighbor as you love yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. That makes it clear that we are to love ourselves and others. Let's get on with it.

I find my thoughts to be like magnets. I picture them this way because it makes changing them from negative to positive easier if I know I'm attracting the same thing I'm thinking.

You can write your own "adjustments or affirmations" and personalize them. They might mean more to you because they'll be specific to you personally.

To Begin: List the things you like or love about yourself. Take your time and make the list as long as you want, then take your list and turn it into statements.

Some Examples:

I know God loves me unconditionally, and I love myself. Here's why.

1. I love that I listen carefully when someone tells me something about themselves.
2. I love that dogs always run up to me to say hello like I'm the dog whisperer because I have a real connection to animals.
3. I love that upbeat classical music makes my heart sing. I'm a happy person.
4. I love to dance even though I dance like Elaine on Seinfeld. It makes me happy!

Those are a few things I would say about myself to adjust or reaffirm my attitude toward myself. What would you say? You can start light and fun, and then, as you get more confident, you can dig deeper. It's up to you and your comfort level.

Let's Start!

Denise