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.
- I love that I listen carefully when someone tells me something about themselves.
- 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.
- I love that upbeat classical music makes my heart sing. I'm a happy person.
- 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
