HOW TO LOVE YOURSELF [WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST]

Self Love is a common topic these days. Everyone talking about how to drench yourself in self love on days when you don't feel your best and when you start getting depressing thoughts. There are number of tips all over the place on how to practice self love, push through limiting beliefs and live an amazing life.

- Starting each day with positive words of affirmations that will make you smile

-Work out and eat healthy

-Embrace your uniqueness

- Stepping outside your comfort zone and do what you really Love

- Stop comparing yourself to others

-Listen to your heart and follow your passion

-Let go of the pain of the past and forgive yourself

-Get creative and give no attention to your inner critic 

                                                                                                   ... among others 

Basically, from what I understand self love these days mean taking care of yourself and your happiness solely putting yourself first and also reaching a point where  "outside Love". has little or no meaning to you.

All of this sounds perfect and nice and is nice actually but personally I noticed that I was never truly satisfied and I was having more down days than ever and self love became somewhat a struggle in fact it was like I was always hitting a dead end and I became obsessed with this self love of a thing, one minute I'd be at my best and the next I'll be at an all time low and I have to start working so hard to Love myself and that's where God came in to show me that I've been doing it wrong because He wasn't involved.

 I loved myself quite alright but I was loving on only my "physical self" and not my "Spirit", I was turning myself into a 'god'. There was no balance between loving myself enough to care for my own needs and loving others, it became excessive and God showed me that self Love without Him is unhealthy

Even Matthew 11:28 says it all

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out?  Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.
 I’ll show you how to take a real rest. 
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. 
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
 I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. 
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

God is the only one that can teach you how to take care of yourself when you're emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually stressed and exhausted. You cannot do it alone.

What self Love really is, and where God comes in
Self-care is finding refreshment in Jesus

Self Love is allowing  God's spirit touch our spirit and confirm who we really are. [Romans 8:15] 

Self Love is finding, loving and honoring God in you

Self Love is letting God take up a residence in your life

Self Love is letting God help you to Love and forgive yourself

Self Love is trusting God's action in you

Self Love is allowing God to bring you alive to Himself, same way He did for Jesus

Self Love on God's terms is sooo satisfying because that's how He works the fruits of the spirit into your Life. The Message translation says He brings gifts into our lives and what are these gifts..

affection for others

exuberance about life 

Serenity

willingness to stick with things

a sense of compassion in the heart

a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things

We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments 

Not needing to force our way through life

Able to marshal and direct our energies wisely \\ Galatians 5:22

 If your self Love isn't based on these gifts of the spirit, the devil will keep finding a way to bring you down. When your Self Love is based on God's Love for you, you pay no attention to wanting to Love yourself your own way and this leads you to the open, spacious and free life God has set up for you.

And that is what self Love is all about. It is about living according to the leading of God's spirit within you and be sure that He won't lead you astray.

It's about trusting God that you're beautiful when you feel otherwise because His word says we are made in His image. [Gen 1:26] [Psalm 139:14]
It's about forgiving yourself because you know God says as far as the east is from the west, He has taken our sins away from us [see Psalm 103:12]
It is accepting yourself and seeing yourself as God's own Star! Because you know He is greater than your worried heart. [1 John 3:20]

The list could go on and on but in summary, you cannot Love yourself without Trusting who God has made you to be
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
Lean not on your own understanding 
Acknowledge Him in all your ways 
He shall direct your path || Proverbs 3:5-6


With Love

-Olakunmi