Healthy Self-Image

can better believe she is the first person I want to give my gift to.

My friends who know and love me (those are the best kind) say, “Now, don’t spend this on anyone but you!” Why would they say this? Because they think I need stuff, or because they think I’m not smart enough to use it wisely, or is it because they know that there are times I just don’t allow myself to spoil me or allow myself to enjoy the gift given just to me.

I’m going to answer this rhetorical question for myself…it’s the third one! Be it religion, be it society, be it just my personality, I have somewhere bought into a belief that, “To think of others only is the Godly thing to do and if I dare think of me I am egotistical, self-absorbed” …whatever adjective you want to add will work.

Okay before you stop reading because you are offended that I am on a “self-worship” kick, please let me continue to develop my point.

Mark 12:31 clearly says to “love your neighbor”. But let’s look at the second part of that verse to see how you are to love your neighbor.

Mark 12:31 KJV

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

The word “as” is an adverb. Adverbs describe verbs. This adverb is the Greek word “hos” which can be translated, “how or in what manner”. The verb in this verse is “love”. The word love is Agape and in my last post, “Don’t Cry Over Spilt Coffee“, we spent some time on that beautiful word. The point Jesus is making in Mark 12:31 is that I am to give agape love to my neighbors just as I give agape love to myself.

So, here is my question to you. Do you give agape love to yourself? To answer that, I want to remind you what agape looks like. Agape is the love that is available to you via the Holy Spirit. It is not a natural love that everyone is born with but one that comes when you get Spirit within. Agape see’s the worst but believes the best. Agape filters its perspective through God’s perspective. Agape is patient, kind, slow to anger, rejoices in truth, and never fails. Take a second to look inside.

When you don’t “hit the mark” in life or in other words when you mess up, do you:

• See the best in yourself, not the worst

• See that you are His masterpiece, not a piece of ..(again, whatever adjective you want to use will do)

• Give yourself patience

• Give yourself grace

• Breath instead of getting angry at yourself

• Celebrate with yourself for the times you have done well

Ephesian 2:10 Amplified Version

For we are God’s workmanship (His own master work, a work of art), created in Christ Jesus (reborn from above-spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used) for good works, which God prepared (for us) beforehand (taking paths which He set), so that we would walk in them (living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us).

Do you look at you this way? He does! When He looks at you He says, “Perfect”! Your Creator, God, never looks at you according to your faults or sins. He can’t because He is light and in Him is no darkness at all which means He doesn’t deal in darkness, He deals in light. The Spirit within you is perfect and that is what God looks at when He sees you. Your perfection via your holy spirit.

These words don’t fill us with a self-absorbed ego, on the contrary, they should fill us with joy and a desire to give what has been given to us. In order for me to love you, my neighbor, with the love of God that I have been given, I must continually remind myself of how loved I truly am by my Heavenly Father.

I John 4:19 Amplified Version

We love, because He first loved us.

It is with great joy that I am allowed to love me first – because He loved me first, then giving it to others is a natural response.

I titled this “A Healthy Self Image” because I want to make sure you and I realize that the image you or I have about ourselves determines how we truly function in this life. God has made known who we are and what we are to see about ourselves all throughout His Word. I want to point some of this out so that our focus can keep His image of us in focus:

1. Romans 5:8 – He loves us so much that He gave His son for us even when we “sucked” (I feel this word is the fitting adjective).

2. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – He says I am a new creation. Even when my old ugly style tries to pop back up, I just remind myself, “I am a new creation in Him!”

3. Psalms 18:32 – He is always there strengthening me, not because I do everything right, but just because He does.

4. I John 2:12 – I am worth Christ dying for.

5. Isaiah 43:1 – I am His.

6. Joshua 1:9 – He is ALWAYS with me. No matter where I choose to go..down a dark path or one of light, He isn’t going to leave me even if I try to leave Him.

7. Esther 4:14 – He has given me purpose.

8. Mathew 5:14 – I am Light.

9. Romans 8:37 – I gain an overwhelming victory through Him.

10. II Corinthians 6:16 – I am His dwelling place

When we develop our self-image based on His image of us, we are truly able to serve.

Taking care of YOU

God has given each of us talents/gifts/strengths. It is okay to take time to feed those talents/gifts/strengths within you. In fact, in order for you to be able to truly be an extravagant giver, you must have in order to give.

You must take the time to feed your spirit, take care of your soul, and tend to your body because all of this is who God made. I want to clarify one point, self-introspection is not the same as self-care.

Focusing on ourselves based on our flesh can be quite frustrating and even at times depressing, but focusing on who He has made me to be and what He has placed within me will set me on fire. His is where the true light we carry resides! All of life is to be filtered through His perspective. To ignore my own needs and under develop my God-given talents is not His perspective, on the contrary, He wants us to live a full life. Even more so, fully developing what He has placed within us brings this to pass.

The entire “Healthy Self-Image” point can be summed up with:

• We are to Love Him with all that we are because He first loved us.

• We are to never-ever-never live in self-condemnation, but see ourselves as He sees us.

I recommend you listen to this!

Jirah by Maverick City Music and Elevation Worship