There is something important I've been thinking about for quite a few weeks now and that is the subject of love. Not necessarily the love of a husband or wife, or a boyfriend and girlfriend (although I've been thinking about that kind of love, too, but we'll explore that in a different post). Rather, I'm talking about the love of oneself.
Everyone in this world has a natural desire to be loved by someone, and to love someone in return. Humanity seems to be programmed with this need to be loved. No matter who we are, how old we may be, or our position in life; deep down we have that God-given need to feel loved. It is simply a part of what makes us human.
However, it is a sad truth that although everyone wants to feel loved, not everyone actually, truly feels it. There are some who may even believe that they are unlovable, and to me that is the most tragic feeling of all. What do you think when you see yourself in the mirror? Do you like what you see? Do you love who you see? Ultimately, that feeling of much-needed love needs to start within us.
This is important, because when we love ourselves, it opens the doors to many possibilities in our lives. What do I mean? Well, while I've been studying and thinking on this subject, I've put together what I believe to be the top five reasons why we should start loving ourselves. Let me explain:
Loving ourselves
is the first step in loving others. When we have that belief that, yes we are a
good person and we deserve to be loved (because we do) that is when we can say:
“Alright, I deserve love, and so do you.” We start to cherish ourselves, and in
doing so we cherish and value others. But we cannot have strong bonds,
relationships, and friendships with other people or loved ones without first having one with ourselves.
When we really, truly love ourselves we become our own biggest fan. So even if every other
person in our lives is against us, if we believe in ourselves that becomes enough drive to keep us going. Our dreams and aspirations become attainable when we are on our own
side, encouraging ourselves in our endeavors. You'd be surprised how empowering that can be!
When we love ourselves and have a strong
understanding of who we are as a person, it sets the stage for us
to explore our individuality and to have a firm footing in the world. We no longer feel we have to compare ourselves to someone, or to live up to any certain forms of criticism because when we know who we are, we like ourselves the way we are already, and we don't need to change.
In loving who we are and being comfortable in our own skin, it can give us a sense of security. If we love ourselves as we already are, we no longer have to work to change ourselves to fit anyone else's standards. We have the security we need to be a strong individual. We can stand out from the crowd without any fear of rejection because, essentially, we have not rejected ourselves.
Finally, by loving ourselves we can shed light on the world we live in. Not only are we seeing ourselves from a different point of view, but we also start seeing everyone else through the lens of this new-found love. By loving ourselves we can improve our self-worth, value, and our self-esteem. It is not conceited to love or value ourselves; it is enriching, fulfilling, and can improve our quality of life as a whole.
Below I've listed some wonderful articles, books, and scriptures on how to go about loving yourself, receiving emotional healing, and the benefits of living a positive life. They are all really helpful, and I encourage you to check them out:
- Remember This the Next Time You Hate How You Look
- Loving God, Yourself & Others
- Get Over Yourself
- Beauty from Ashes
- Love Out Loud: 365 Devotions for Loving God, Loving Yourself and Loving Others
- Mark 12:31
- Deuteronomy 6:5
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
- Psalm 139:13-15
- Ephesians 2:10
- Deuteronomy 31:6
- 1 Samuel 16:7
There are, of course, many other benefits to loving ourselves, and I may explore them more in the future. Nevertheless, I hope this article has been encouraging; if so feel free to comment below. As always, have a great weekend and God bless =)
