The most important relationship we have is the relationship with ourselves. Too many people don’t like who they are because they’re constantly focusing on their faults and weaknesses. They relive their mistakes and failures and wish they were different. Instead of accepting themselves as a masterpiece made in the image of God, they’re critical toward themselves.
This seeps onto others because if you don’t get along with yourself you’re not going to get along with other people. Jesus said to love our neighbours as ourselves this means you can’t love others if you don’t love yourself. The best thing you can do for your family and friends is to be good, kind, merciful, forgiving and loving to yourself. Start being good to you. That’s not selfish nor arrogant, that’s loving yourself.
Many of us go through life against ourselves, feeling wrong on the inside. Sometimes the enemy is no one else but ourselves. We keep defeating ourselves, limiting our dreams and sabotaging our relationships all because we don’t like ourselves. Our insecurities become a cancer.
We have enough people and circumstances against us, we don’t need to add ourselves to that list.
We need to stop focusing on what’s wrong with us and focus more on what’s right what us. We may have weaknesses and made a lot of mistakes, but there’s a lot more right with ourselves than there’d ever be wrong.
Dwelling on the negative doesn’t help us to do better. Beating ourselves up for past mistakes doesn’t move us forward. The better we feel about ourselves, the better we’d do and the more we like ourselves, the further we’d go. We can’t give what we don’t have. If we’re in turmoil on the inside, mad at ourselves, critical and condemned then that’s what we’d have to give. If we’re hard on ourselves, we’d be hard on others.
If we don’t forgive ourselves we won’t forgive others. If we don’t get along with ourselves, we won’t be able to get along with others.
The best thing we can do is start being for ourselves. It all starts with us.
If we’re waiting to perform perfectly before we feel good about who we are then we’d probably be waiting our whole life. We have to accept ourselves while we’re in the process of change.
God knew we had weaknesses, He made us, we’re not a surprise to Him. He knew there’d be things we’d struggle with so we don’t have to beat ourselves up because we haven’t arrived yet. No one has ‘arrived’. There’d always be some area of our lives we need to improve.
Sometimes I actually believe God leaves weaknesses on purpose so that we’d have to depend on Him.
He’s changing us from glory to glory so we need to learn to enjoy the glory we’re in right now.
We may not be where we want to be but we’re not where we used to be. Instead of looking at how far we want to go we need to look back and thank God for how far he’s brought us.
It takes a mature person to say “I’m okay with where I am while I’m on the way to where God wants me to be.”
God accepts and approves us regardless of our mistakes or shortcomings. Not when we overcome but right now, as imperfect as we are. He knows we’re on a journey. He’s changing us little by little. He accepts us, now we have to accept ourselves.
We need to focus on your victories. The times you succeeded, resisted that temptation, were disciplined, felt like telling them off but bit our tongue, excelled in that presentation and the many successes we’ve had in life. We don’t have to keep our weaknesses on the forefront of our mind. We can’t become who we were created to be if we are negative toward ourselves.
God has given us different gifts, different personalities, different temperaments and sometimes we’re fighting who we are, trying to be like someone else. We have to accept who God has made us to be.
Sure there are areas of our life we can improve in but there are certain things that are just who we are.
When we compare ourselves and think we have to be like someone else we begin to fall short of our potential as though we’re in a disadvantage but what we fail to realise is ‘God has given us what we need to fulfil our destiny.’ If you needed a different personality, different looks, different parents, different talents or strengths it would’ve happened.
We need to quit comparing ourselves and run our race. We must be comfortable in who God has made us to be. We don’t covet what someone else has. If we had their qualities it wouldn’t help us, it would rather hinder us. We are equipped for our race. We have been fearfully and wonderfully made. It’s high time we walked in our anointing, being confident with our gifts, letting our personality shine. There’s not another person in this world like ourself and nobody can do you like you do you. You’re not anointed to be someone else. You won’t activate the favour moreover see the abundance if you’re trying to be someone that you’re not.
“Are you frustrated over something you think is a weakness but is rather a strength”
Colossians 1:22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
You can’t go around acknowledging the negative and expect your faith to be effective. We need to train our mind to see the good in every situation and focus on that.
Beating ourselves up doesn’t only keep us from enjoying life but it keeps us from rising higher.
You have enough enemies in life, don’t be against yourself. You should be your biggest fan.
Sometimes we believe thinking good of ourselves is a veer from humility but no, we have to recognize the creator of the universe’s decision to entrust us with gifts, talents and abilities. He’s crowned you with favour so don’t go through life thinking little of yourself. Step into your potential and show off that talent. Don’t be your enemy, be your asset.
When we acknowledge the talents God has given us, our faith is made effective and we begin to see new doors opening.
You may be good at complimenting others but you need to get good at complimenting yourself.
You might have made decisions you’re not proud of and beat yourself down because of that but Paul said in Colossians 1:22 Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
But the real question here is can you see yourself without fault? Get in agreement with God that nothing you’ve done has stopped your destiny. Here’s proof, Jesus knew Peter would deny Him yet He chose Him as His disciple. This also tells us that God doesn’t disqualify us because we have weaknesses. If He did, none of us would have a chance. Peter could’ve lived condemned for the rest of his life in guilt but he did what most of us can’t. He forgave himself, he had mercy on himself.
All throughout the Bible god used people who made mistakes; Abraham who had a child out of word lock , David who slept with someone else’s wife and killed her husband, Jonah, Aaron who succumbed to the will of the Israelites and built a golden calf for them became the first high priest (High Priest were the only people who were allowed to enter the most sacred place of the temple also known as the Holy of Holies. The High Priest goes there once a year on the Day of Atonement, to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood to expiate his own sins and those of the people of Israel.)
God has forgiven you but you have to forgive yourself because I’m pretty sure you love God but do you love yourself?
You’re not a finished product, God is still working on you.