Do you love yourself as God loves you?
This is a question I ask myself almost daily. I struggle with negative mindset, poor self-talk, and not so great habits. Even though I feel as if I'm doing what God is asking me to do by serving others, I am failing at loving myself as He loves me.
Maybe that seems a bit harsh - perhaps I'm not failing, rather, I am struggling in this area because I still do not believe that I am worthy. How many good deeds and acts of service does it take to reach the point of feeling like I am worth giving love to myself?
Let's first see what scripture says on the subject: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) - "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies."
Going by the verses above, this tells me that my body is my temple...woah. When you go to Church, are you going to walk in there with greasy fingers and muddy shoes? Probably not. Are you going to go in there full force talking negatively about yourself to others? Doubtful. So why do we do this to our bodies?
There are some key areas that I have defined as my self-love tasks that I want to share with you to encourage you to make time to love yourself more.
The first two areas are weak points for me and they go hand in hand, so let's get them out of the way first:
- Healthy Eating
- Exercising
One thing I want to clear up is that everybody is different and every body is different. What works for your neighbor may not work for you, finding the balance that helps your body rather than hurts it is important.
I am not a health coach, so I am not going to coach you in these two areas because I believe that they are very personal to the person. My lifetime of food allergies and health issues tell me that my body doesn't react like most and I have a tendency to quit due to physical pain that occurs. Others often don't understand this and I've given up trying to explain it. The lesson here is - do what you are comfortable with and don't worry about what others are telling you.
The next area is one that I try to incorporate, but often is the first to go during busy times:
- Rest
When we work all day, every day, something happens - exhaustion. We cannot be our best if we are constantly running our bodies ragged in order to keep up. If you do not make time to rest, your body will force the issue during the least opportune time (and sometimes way) imaginable.
Rest is something that even God did on the seventh day. There are many scriptures that talk about the importance of rest and keeping the Sabbath day holy. Carve out some time every week to devote to rest, for me it is Sunday after Church, and I adopt the mindset of 'anything goes'. If I feel like working for a little bit, I may, but it isn't something that I have to do.
Lastly, we will talk about two areas that also go hand in hand:
- Nourishment of Mindset
- Spiritual Nourishment
Even if you aren't someone who believes like I do, you can still put into practice the nourishment of your mindset. The act of flipping the way you think from negative to positive is something that grows over time and with consistency. Don't give up, keep working at it.
For those who do believe like I do, spiritual nourishment comes from study. Set aside time daily if possible, or weekly if that is all the time you're able to devote, to pouring yourself into God's word. Pick up a devotional (Amazon sells tons!) and see how you can apply the lessons in your life.
Ultimately, you are valuable, you are worthy, and you are loved. I encourage you to practice self-love more each day in ways that honors your body.
With Grace, Shonda