After going through a time of pain and turmoil, I was strongly encouraged to go to counseling by someone I trusted and respected. I finally agreed to see a Christian counselor who turned out to be a huge blessing to me. He patiently helped me sort through my emotions and think about some things I had experienced differently.
One of the things we discussed in particular had a huge impact on my life - Love. He recognized that I not only loved the Lord desperately, but that I loved people in my life so much that I sacrificed myself in many ways for them. And he asked me this question "what would it look like if Melissa loved herself the way she loves others?" My homework that next week was to think about what that would look like. He did not ask me to love myself like I did others, because that was more than I could do at that time. Just to think about what it would look like....
That was very difficult for me. First I thought of someone I loved dearly, my granddaughter. Then I broke down what I did for her because I loved her. I kept her warm, fed her things that are good for her, made sure she got enough sleep, and I would fight like a mama bear to keep her safe. I would never allow anyone to hurt her physically or mentally. I would not let anyone destroy her self-confidence, and I encouraged her to be herself. I constantly told her how beautiful and wonderful she was and that she was born with a purpose. I prayed for her and told her what the Lord says about her - that she is His princess and that He has great things for her.
Then I wondered....why do I not do these things for myself? Maybe I felt like that was selfish, or that I did not deserve the same kind of love that my granddaughter did because of my mistakes and failures. However, no one is perfect, not even my precious grandchildren. My own children made mistakes, and yet my love for them never changed. Just like God's love for me has never changed, regardless of my behaviors and mistakes. And I realized that God wants us to love ourselves...because He loves us. Is that not the reason we want our children and grandchildren to love and care for themselves? Because we love them and it hurts us to see them do things that are not good for them?
As I have begun to understand what it means to be a Child of God, a Princess of the King of Kings, a Daughter of the Most High, I have started loving myself. I am realizing my worth as a woman, not because of anything special I have done or not done, but because I am His and the blood of Jesus makes me worthy of love. I want to take care of myself so that I can be what He has called me to be and do what He asks me to do.
I have taken responsibility for my self-love rather than expecting someone else to do it for me. I make it a point to encourage myself. I treat myself well, protect myself from mental and physical abuse, and I read the Word of God that tells me who I am and what my destiny is. This is how I love Melissa. I pray that you will begin to think about what it would look like to love yourself and that you will then have the courage to make changes in your own life. Start with reading about who you are as His child and ask for Jesus to reveal his love for you.
1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.
One of the things we discussed in particular had a huge impact on my life - Love. He recognized that I not only loved the Lord desperately, but that I loved people in my life so much that I sacrificed myself in many ways for them. And he asked me this question "what would it look like if Melissa loved herself the way she loves others?" My homework that next week was to think about what that would look like. He did not ask me to love myself like I did others, because that was more than I could do at that time. Just to think about what it would look like....
That was very difficult for me. First I thought of someone I loved dearly, my granddaughter. Then I broke down what I did for her because I loved her. I kept her warm, fed her things that are good for her, made sure she got enough sleep, and I would fight like a mama bear to keep her safe. I would never allow anyone to hurt her physically or mentally. I would not let anyone destroy her self-confidence, and I encouraged her to be herself. I constantly told her how beautiful and wonderful she was and that she was born with a purpose. I prayed for her and told her what the Lord says about her - that she is His princess and that He has great things for her.
Then I wondered....why do I not do these things for myself? Maybe I felt like that was selfish, or that I did not deserve the same kind of love that my granddaughter did because of my mistakes and failures. However, no one is perfect, not even my precious grandchildren. My own children made mistakes, and yet my love for them never changed. Just like God's love for me has never changed, regardless of my behaviors and mistakes. And I realized that God wants us to love ourselves...because He loves us. Is that not the reason we want our children and grandchildren to love and care for themselves? Because we love them and it hurts us to see them do things that are not good for them?
As I have begun to understand what it means to be a Child of God, a Princess of the King of Kings, a Daughter of the Most High, I have started loving myself. I am realizing my worth as a woman, not because of anything special I have done or not done, but because I am His and the blood of Jesus makes me worthy of love. I want to take care of myself so that I can be what He has called me to be and do what He asks me to do.
I have taken responsibility for my self-love rather than expecting someone else to do it for me. I make it a point to encourage myself. I treat myself well, protect myself from mental and physical abuse, and I read the Word of God that tells me who I am and what my destiny is. This is how I love Melissa. I pray that you will begin to think about what it would look like to love yourself and that you will then have the courage to make changes in your own life. Start with reading about who you are as His child and ask for Jesus to reveal his love for you.
1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.