LOVING YOURSELF

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

-- Psalm 139:13-14

It's a very difficult thing to love yourself. Especially if you look at yourself realistically. Especially if you compare yourself to Jesus. You know what you've done in your life. Even though you may have repented of those sins, asked forgiveness for them and turned away from them, they're still there, lurking in your memory. Even though God has forgotten them, you haven't. Even though God has forgiven you for them, you haven't forgiven yourself.

So, you strive for acceptance. You behave in ways that you think will make people like you, even though you think you're not very likeable. You achieve so people will admire you. You lose weight and exercise, not because it makes you feel better or to be healthier, but because you want to be attractive to others. You follow all the rules and hope that no one notices when you break one. You do everything you can possibly do to make yourself fit in, to conform to the image you've set up for yourself, to be the person you think you're supposed to be... all the while forgetting that one important thing... God made you who you are and He loves you, warts and all.

God didn't make you like anyone else. He made you to be yourself. You are precious and special to Him because of your uniqueness. You don't have to please anyone but Him. Not even yourself. And even then, His love is not conditional on whether you please Him. His love is there because it is there. He loves you because He loves you.

If you're having a difficult time accepting yourself for who you are, read these verses again…

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Remember, God don't make no junk.