We
read in the Scriptures that we are made in God’s image. That’s an amazing thought! We need to appreciate ourselves. God loved us so much, He gave his only Son to
show us how to live and Jesus gave up his life so that we can live
forever. He would not have done that if
we were not worth it.
Maybe a way to begin to learn how to
appreciate ourselves is to make a “I Appreciate …(this).. about myself” list.
Write down all the things you appreciate about yourself and thank God
for them. You can add to the list each
day as you spend time in quiet and with God. As you
look at them each day you can say, “You
know Lord, you did a pretty good job.
Thank You!” This is different
than pride and conceit. This is not
thinking you are better than the next person.
This is affirming God’s action in
and through us. We acknowledge these
gifts as we make ourselves available to be of service to God. I call this “humbly proud”.
We
are made of body, mind, spirit and heart.
There is a struggle when the mind is not functioning at its
potential. When we don’t check our
negative attitudes about life and ourselves it affects our bodies and
spirit. We are cautioned that many of our
illnesses are a result of how we feed our body, mind, spirit and heart. When we do not acknowledge and appreciate our
gifts and self it causes turmoil inside of us.
We leave ourselves open to being hurt or wounded easily. We become bitter and resentful. It hurts our heart. It affects our spirit. It affects our attitude that we are not
worthy. It affects our ability to
withstand the struggles we will have in life.
Recently, I felt like I was not being
appreciated for something I had volunteered to do. It really bothered me. The first 24 hours after this happened I had
a pity party with myself. Even in the
midst of the pity party I knew that it really does not matter that I wasn’t
acknowledged. I kept saying to myself,
“Do you like doing what you’re doing?
Yes! Are you good at it? Yes. Is your purpose to serve God? Yes!” Then
that’s all that matters. But
down deep I was hurting.
Coincidentally
(more likely providentially) I was leading a Bible Study the next morning. As I was preparing, part of the study included
Matthew 23:12, “Whoever exalts himself, will be humbled and whoever humbles
himself shall be exalted.” I felt like I had been hit with a 2 x 4. My attitude had affected my spirit. God put the icing on the cake when in the
next two days several people went out of their way to thank me for being me. I laughed at myself. There are so many ways I
am affirmed for who I am. Yet, in this
matter, I let my guard down. I confessed
my need for attention and was reminded to look at the “appreciation list” and
be thankful. I am grateful that God has created a good
thing in me and I am a blessed woman in so, so many ways. I need to keep appreciating my body, mind,
spirit and heart and keep them healthy and in balance.
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