Day 361: Limitless Love

1 Peter 4:8
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.


The year is winding down pretty fast, and the devotionals as we head into the last few days of 2017 will be a lot about self-reflections nd direction. Taking the word of God and allowing it to influence how we live, how we speak, and everything we do. One of the greatest messages the bible teaches us is love, to love God first then love people. God loves us with an unconditional love, a love that covers our sins and a love that forgives. A love that would send His son to die on a cross for us. God commands us to love one another. Love is the one thing that has the power to break down barriers, stop hate, the power of love is greater than many of us will ever realize, because when we speak of the power of love we speak of the power of God because He is love. The power of love is evident when we are reminded of a perfect man name Jesus who hung on a cross in order to save humanity from our sinful nature. That;s the love that covered a multitude of sins. With the way things are going in the world right now, not just in America but everywhere we turn, we can see that this world needs love, if we need anything we need love. We need to love one another, we need to love our enemies, we need to love ourselves. Love is what we need. We need to be drowning in love and pouring buckets of it on our peers. 

One thing I want to point out is that Jesus love was unconditional, it was almost as if He did not care about what people had done because He was willing to forgive them. He came with he purpose of redemption, so even the people who nailed Him to a cross would in some way take part in the salvation He had to offer. Love didn't care about what they had done in the past, all that mattered was now and how we are going to live in the future. Jesus healed countless people who were considered sinners, and hung out with people who were said to be the worst types of sinners. Now most would think that a man like Jesus would  have nothing to do with such people. But no, those are the ones He came for. He came for the ones that people described as hard to love, the ones no one wanted to go near. He came for the one outcast by society and the ones who were said to be the biggest sinners of all sinners. His love extended to even them, the same way it extended to the ones who considered themselves righteous, and blameless without fault. I want to challenge you to love people the same way. 

Love people earnestly, compassionately, unconditionally. As we start a new year walk in love. Walk in unconditional love. Extending the same kind of love that Jesus extended to us. Let love overcome. Let love allow you to forgive. I know that many of us have been hurt by people and betrayed and people have just done things to us that make us not want to love them, or forgive them. But let the love that is in you be bigger than the anger and stringer than the grudges we hold so often. Think about how much Jesus loves us and how much we have done to hurt Him, yet He would die on a cross for us all over again if He had to. Let's love that way. A crucifixion type of love, that the very people that nail you to a cross you will pray to God for their forgiveness. That's how we should love people. It's also how we should love ourselves. God made us worthy of love, why do we so often act like love is not for us. Why do we think we cannot love ourselves. You are love and you deserve to be loved. 

Response/Prayer Time 

Take the time to respond to what we discussed today. Have a conversation with God about love! 

I love you! I hope you have a wonderful day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 362!

Day 313: Don't Pressure Yourself

1 John 3:20

for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.

Romans 8:1

There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus.

Some of us are way too hard on ourselves. Many of us can say that we are perfectionist. How many times have we looked down upon ourselves for something we did, or felt crappy because we felt like we could have done better? How many times have a put ourselves down because in our eyes we did something wrong. This even goes into self-harm, how many of us have harmed ourselves because we feel like we need to be better or do better or we are not satisfied with who we are. I know I have, done all of these things.

The thing about being a perfectionist and being too hard on ourselves is that we force ourselves to grow. However we do it in a harmful way. As an artist I am a very passionate person, and in general I am very hard on myself, and that allowed me to push to constantly being better, but talking down on myself and hurting myself when I was less than I thought I should be was not a healthy way to get there. I had to realize that discipline and being hard on myself are two completely different things. There is nothing wrong with self-discipline however there is a lot wrong with self-harm. God does not condemn us so why do we do it to ourselves? Why do we think of ourselves as unworthy when to Jesus we are worth everything. No we are not perfect and that is why we need Jesus. He completes us. That perfection we are seeking is only found in Christ, nowhere else. No matter how much we beat ourselves up, or talk down to ourselves, the only one that can make us whole and perfect is Jesus Christ.

Many of us have gone through very tragic things and blamed ourselves from them. Many of us have been abused and mistreated and that has caused us to think we are not enough. Well let me tell you right here and now; YOU ARE ENOUGH! God knew you were enough the moment He made the decision to create you. Don’t spend time coming down on yourself because of what others think or how people have treated you. God’s will for our life is not for us to be mistreated by others or ourselves. He wants us to live with Him and allow our lives to lead others to Him. God does not want us to be out here harming ourselves, it is not HIs desire that we hurt ourselves in any way. God is a healer, and He loves us through the pain. He loves us beyond our sin, and He sees us in our darkest hour. We a meant to live in unity with Him, not trying so hard to be perfect that we separate ourselves from Him.

We sometimes put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect Christians. When we decide to give our lives to Christ and are dedicated to serving Him ever day of our lives, we find ourselves under our own microscope. What I mean is we want so bad to please God and to live right that we pressure ourselves out of living. Meaning we are often so caught up in getting it right that we can get it wrong. We cannot constantly condemn ourselves for the things we have done or the things we do, no one changes overnight. We all want to be people of God, living right by the word and living a life free of sin, but we must find the line that goes beyond self-discipline and into self-condemnation, or pressuring ourselves to be perfect. The thing about us trying to be perfect on our own is, as I’ve mentioned before we can never get there. The thing about pressure is, too much of it can cause great damage. Think about how much damage we cause ourselves by feeling pressured by the need to be perfect, and the need to always get it right. We are human, and part of our humanity is that sometimes we will get it wrong, sometimes things won’t go the way we planned. But God is so good in the sense that even when we do get it wrong He is there to forgive us and teach us what is right. If we never get something wrongs we’ll never know what was right. Life isn’t about being perfect it is about the willingness to admit our need of a savior. It is about being willing to learn and grow.

All this to say, do not pressure yourself. Do not condemn us and HE created us and knows everything about us. If God, who created us and knows everything there is to know about us and knows what we are going to do before we do it, if He finds no reason to condemn us, let’s not do it to ourselves.  Living in unity with Christ means that there is no condemnation, none.

Reflection

1. Have you ever been too hard on yourself?
2. Has your need to be perfect caused you to harm yourself, whether physically, emotionally or mentally.
3. How has God helped you with that?  

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Have a conversation with God about what we discussed today. If you are that person surrender your worries to God. If you know someone who struggles with this pray for them and reach out to them and let them know they are loved by God and by you.

I love you, I really do. If you are struggling with self harm, please do not suffer in silence, reach out to someone, Anyone. Find someone who will pray with you. I love you and I hope you have an amazing day. Please share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 313!

Day 302: Jesus Doesn't Care About Status

James 2:1-9

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. 2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

THe scripture above is pretty self explanatory, but it shows the difference between how we as humans think and how God thinks. It shows how we as humans see people versus how God sees His children. The goal is to see people the way God sees them, to see them through a filter of love as opposed to judging them with our eyes. How many times have we judged someone based on their appearance or statue? How many times have we treated someone different because they looked different than us, or came from a different background? Let’s be honest, I am guilty of it, and when I think about I think of how wrong that was. God does not show partiality, He treats us all the same. He loves us all the same, it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, it doesn’t matter where you came from, what color your skin is, you are still a child of God. He does not care about our status. Do you think Jesus was thinking about status when He died for us, He died for all of us. HE died for every human being so that we all may have life. He didn’t come for just you or just me, He came for all of us. Every single one of us, that means we are all equal in His eyes, He did not care about our status or our background, He cares about us, His people.

I know many of us have judged people but also many of us have been judged by people and I can tell you it doesn’t feel good to be treated differently because you're not rich enough, you didn’t come from the right neighborhood or your skin isn’t the right color. God made us all equal and He doesn’t love us because of what we have, where we come from, or the color of our skin, He loves us because we are His children, He loves us because He is God and God is love. God’s love is unconditional, and that is how we must learn to love people.

The bible tells us time and time again to love our neighbor as ourselves, but if we are showing partiality, how are we loving our neighbor as ourselves. If we are passing judgements on people based on how they look how are we loving our neighbors like ourselves? We cannot dishonor God’s people and say that we love them at the same time. We do not get to decide if someone is worthy of our love, if we are walking this earth like Christ, everyone is worthy of our love. Everyone deserves to be loved. Loving people is not about us, it is about the other person, people need to know that they are loved. They need to know that beyond their looks, beyond their condition or situation, beyond their past, they are loved. Sometimes we make love selfish, love is the most selfless action their is. Can you imagine how that poor man must have felt when He was treated less important because he wasn’t wearing gold or nice garments? The honest truth is we have been all three people in the story. People make assumptions of who we are based on what they see and we have done the same thing. Let’s stop things cycle and start to walk, live, and love like Christ. When we are full of the Holy Spirit there is no room for anything that is unlike Christ.  

All this to say, if God is not judging anyone, what gives us the right to judge people. Show no partiality.

Reflection

1. Recall a time when you have been the person who was judgemental or the person being judged.
2. Looking back how do you feel about that?

Prayer Time

Take the time to ask God to search your heart and remove anything that is unlike Him. If you feel the need to repent by all means do so. Then take the time to pray for God’s people, pray that we will be a people that loves beyond what the eyes can see, that we will not judge people but love them.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 303!

Day 256: People's Opinions

Proverbs 29:25

It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you, but if you trust the Lord, you are safe. (GNT)

One of the greatest lessons God has taught me is to be confident in who I am and who He has made me to be. He has allowed me or taught me to see myself the way He sees me. To love myself. He has taught me not to view myself through the filter of my peers. He has made me who I am and I am not subject to succumb to the opinions of others. We are not made to live in the shadow of someone’s opinions. Opinions didn’t make us, so they most definitely do not have the power to break us. I have found freedom in not caring about what others think. That was something that held me back for a very long time in every area of my. The grave fear of, “What will people think?” “What will people say?” The more I thought about that, the more it destroyed me, because one thing my mom always taught us is, no matter what, people will always have an opinion. People will always have something to say. Then she would follow it up by saying something like, “it’s a good thing you aren’t living for their acceptance. Ever since I was a little girl my parents have taught me that the only person I have to please is God, that I am not here to please anyone, not even them. Those statements would not resonate with me until later in my life but I have grasped the concept of it.

I believe that God wants us to be confident people, and He does not want us to be held captive by what people think of us. Honestly speaking, we are often concerned with how people view us, especially as Christians. We act a certain way around certain people so they don’t think we are bad people or bad Christians. However when we are more concerned with how God views us, we are much happier with ourselves and our lives. There’s so much joy in living our lives solely for God. There’s a certain type of joy that cannot be tainted when we truly grasp the meaning of being free in christ. When we just accept ourselves the way God made us and love every part of who we are, we tend to love others more. When we treat ourselves well we tend to treat others well. When we are confident in who we are we want to build up others. It’s like a domino effect. When we all learn to be ourselves, and fully devote ourselves to God, the world will be a much happier place. People will love each other because they love themselves.

I have found, very recently that all the confidence, all the strength and belief in myself I will ever need I can and have found in God. It was only when I drew closer to the Lord that I figured out how to focus on Him and not others. What I mean is that for so long I cared about how people viewed me, and when I fully immersed myself into the word of God, and fully devoted myself and my life to Christ, that is when all of my insecurities and cares for what others thought of me disappeared. Basically what I’m saying is I live a carefree life because I live a Christ-like life. It’s crazy how that works. Living in the world could not give me the type of freedom that I have now. And it feels good, not caring feels so good. I’m just going through life happy and free, it’s great!

All this to say, live the life god has given you and not care about what others think of you. The only person you have to please is God. Don’t allow the opinions of others dictate who you are and how you view yourself. God made you who you are for a reason. People’s opinions either elevate you or tear you down, you have to choose which ones are meant for your life.

Reflection

1. Are you often caught up in the opinions of others?
2. Are you viewing yourself through God’s eyes or the eyes of your peers or neighbors?
3. Do you believe that there is freedom from that in Christ?
4. Can you agree that all this confidence and freedom is found in the Lord?

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Talk to God about what we discussed today, as Him to help you see you, the way He sees you.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 257!

Day 211: Love Is...

Love is probably one of the hardest words to define because it can be described and showed in so many different ways. With love languages, and expressions and the hesitation to say “I love you” to someone you know you love. Love is serious, it’s not always taken seriously, but it is a very serious thing.

We struggle so much to define the word love and we often look for it in places where it is not. I think that we have all had experiences where we felt love for the first time, like really felt and understood it, as well as knowing what its like to love for the first. I must say that it's a truly beautiful feeling. We can live our whole lives thinking we know what love is and in a minute the definition is completely changed, because somewhere along the way we have an experience that either shows us this is what it looks like to be loved or shows us what its like to love. However it’s very hard to put into words, or at least that’s what I thought. I found the definition of love without even knowing I was looking for it, and it came through reading the word of God. I came across 1 Corinthians 13:4-7,

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

This is love, if we are looking to put it into words here it is. Not only does God show us what love is, and what it looks like, He explains it to us. In plain terms there are no metaphors or riddles to figure it out. It’s straightforward. God defines love for us, and it’s beautiful.

The most beautiful thing about it is God is describing himself. 1 John 4:8, Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. To know love is to know God. When Paul writes about love He is describing the very characteristics of God. If we live our lives to serve God and if God is in us, these are the characteristics that we must also inhabit.

Not only does God show us what love is, He shows us how to love. Being patient and kind. Not being jealous of anyone or anything or prideful and boasting. My favorite is, “keeping no record of being wronged”. Love is forgiveness. Love is the ability to let go and move on. Probably the hardest characteristic of love, because many of us have been hurt by people who say they love us. Hurt by love as we would say. I think many of us get to this mindset because we are living by man’s standard of love, not God’s. When we live by God’s standard of love, all of this will be much easier. Life is better because we cannot help but love people, we cannot help but forgive. God’s love is the best kind of love. Love does not rejoice at injustice, love fights for justice, it fights for truth. Love doesn’t give up, it doesn’t lose faith, it’s hopeful and endures. If you love something or someone, you don’t give up on it or them. You don’t give up faith or hope. Love keeps you going, it keeps you motivated. Love makes you continue to fight even when it’s hard and you feel like you have nothing left. This is how God loves us. This is how we are to love ourselves and how we are to love others.

All this to say, if you're looking for love, look to God. You won’t find it anywhere else, God is the source of love. He is love.

Response/Prayer Time

Take the time to talk to God about what it is to love and be loved. Respond in whatever way you feel led.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening! Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 212!

Day 191: Recap

Day 184: Small Beginnings

Today we talked about humble beginnings and starting even if it's small, just start somewhere. We talked about appreciating the small steps. We focused on Zechariah 4:10.

" It doesn’t matter how small the beginning is just start and let God finish, start and trust God. Whatever God has called you to, start it. "

Day 185: Turn Over a New Leaf

Today we talked about closing a chapter and starting a new one. We talked about knowing when to let go and move on. Not letting fear stop us from moving forward. We focused on Deuteronomy 2:2-3.

"One of the biggest things stopping us from moving forward is uncertainty."

Day 186: Live to Win

Today we talked about expecting the best for ourselves and from ourselves, and not writing ourselves off. Yes, today was all about self. We focused on 1 Corinthians 9:24

"Live for something bigger than yourself and don’t write yourself off. You are much more than you think you are. God made you for a reason, live like you believe that."

Day 187: Whose Job Is It

Today we talked about compassion and be ing there for our brothers and sisters. We talked about putting our differences aside and seeing the bigger picture. We talked about stepping up to plate and being there for those in need, having the same compassion for others that Jesus had for us. We focused on Luke 10:25-37, Luke 3:11, Proverbs 3:27, John 15:12, and Galatians 6:2.

"Let’s get to the point where we hold so much compassion in our hearts for our neighbors. That’s how we will be united as a community. When our compassion for one another forces us to put our differences aside and be there, lend a helping hand. When our compassion for one another becomes bigger than our differences, that’s when we will start to make progress. We have to look away from ourselves and our own selfish desires and selfish rules and beliefs and see someone else. Compassion will unite us."

Day 188: Don't Run Away, Deal With It!

Today we talked about facing our problems head on and not running away from them. We talked about getting in touch with our feelings and dealing with them. We focused on James 1:2-4.

"If we want to grow in life we have to learn how to access our true feelings and not shy away from them, no matter what they may be. Pinpoint the problem and face it head on like David did Goliath."

Day 189: It Will All Work Out

Today we talked about Romans 8:28 and how the scripture encourages us to trust that everything will be okay, and know that God is in control.

"One day you won’t have to worry or cry about what’s going on in your life. Know that for those who love God, He is always on our side, He’s in our corner and He’s rooting for us. He’s waiting for that right moment to step in and finish the game. Trust God with all of your heart, it’s all going to work out in your favor. I love you. "

I love you, and I hope you have an amazing day, be sure to go back on what we went through this week and come tomorrow for Day 192!

Day 187: Live to Win

1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

One of my least favorite statements is,

“I’m hoping for the best, but I’m expecting the worst.”

That statement makes me livid, because no, don’t write yourself off like that. If you’re going to hope for the best, hope for it. Believe it, and if the result is anything less than that then atleast you tried, it just didn’t work out. I think many of us are afraid of being let down and hurt so we don’t expect much out of the things we hope for. We don’t want to be disappointed so we don’t get our hopes up. We don’t want to get our hearts broken so we act like we don’t have feelings. Well, get over it, that’s life. It’s full of ups and downs, heartaches, headaches, and disappointments, but all of these things work together to make us better people. God uses all of these things to mould and shape us. The biggest disappointment would be, if we let our insecurities and fears stop us from ever trying. I’d rather be disappointed and know that I tried rather than angry and bitter because I never tried in the first place. Which brings me to the title of today’s devo, we have to live to win. We have to give it our all. What’s the use of running a race if you’re not running to win?

I truly believe that God wants us to win, not in a way where we are competing with our neighbors but in a way that we are living the best way we know how. That we are giving everything we have to this life that He has given us. It is apparent to me that God doesn’t want us to sell ourselves short. He loves us and believes in us enough to send His son to die on a cross for our sin. Why can’t we believe in ourselves the same way? He definitely didn’t sell us short.

Over the past year I have seen a wave of, ‘glorified insecurity’, where it has become almost a trend to talk down on yourself and write yourself off. From ‘funny’ memes to grunge tumblr posts. It’s something that has started on social media but has also taken root in the lives of many people. It’s not okay or funny or cute to talk down on yourself. There are many other people out there who are going to do that, why do it to yourself?

We have to learn to believe in ourselves, believe in our dreams, and most importantly believe that God has sent us here with a purpose. Having faith in the fact that God is rooting for us, He wants us to win. Jesus is like our cheerleader, He’s on the right side of the father interceding for us day in and day out. He is rooting for us too. It’s so easy to let fear stop us from trying, but God is not a God of fear. Yes we will fall, and we have to get back up. We will get a few scrapes and scars but it’s makes for a better story in the end. Something my mom always told me growing up, before Kanye said it, “What doesn’t kill you will only make you stronger.” She’s been telling me this all my life. Whenever I got a no from an audition, or didn’t get picked at a showcase, she’d look at me and say that statement. What that meant was, don’t let this stop you, I know it hurts but you have to get up and keep trying. Let it fuel you to do more.

All this to say, live to win. Live for something bigger than yourself and don’t write yourself off. You are much more than you think you are. God made you for a reason, live like you believe that.

Reflection

1. How often do you talk down to yourself, or think less of yourself?
2. Have your written yourself off?
3. Are you running this race to win?
4. Do you believe that you can win?
5. Do you know your worth

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Whatever you feel the need to talk to God about today, talk to Him. Leave the self-doubt, fear, and insecurities behind.

I love you and I hope you have an amazing day or evening. I really do love you and I want you to know that. Be sure to share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 188!

Day 184: Recap

Day 177: The Bright Side

Today we talked about looking on the bright side of a situation and being content with where we are. We focused on 1 Timothy 6:6-7 and Philippians 4:12-13.

"If we continue to look on the brighter side one day we will get up and the darkness will no longer hover over us, one day the clouds will clear up, the rain will stop. "

Day 178: #LoveYourself Part 2

Today we took it all the way back to day to the beginning, Day 7, when we talked about loving yourself. Today we talked about loving the skin we are in and knowing that God made us beautiful and perfect just the way we are. Today was about who you are on the outside as much as you do on the inside. We focused on Mark 12:31, Ephesians 5:29. and Psalms 139:14.

"We project ourselves onto other people. How we treat ourselves is often how we treat others. So just imagine, if we are loving ourselves and feeling confident and beautiful, and good about the skin we are in. Thankful for who we are, and the life we live. How do you think we are going to treat others?"

Day 179: Gotta Have Faith

Today we talked about faith and how we must exercise our faith if we want it to grow. We talked about trusting God and having the faith of a mustard seed. We also talked about choosing to have faith in God and not using it as a last resort. We focused on Hebrews 11:1, Mark 11:24, and Matthew 21:22.

"Faith isn’t just for the moments when we’ve lost all hope. Faith in God is what gives us hope."

Day 180: Don't Trade Your Integrity

Today we talked about holding on to our integrity and our belief and morals. We talked about having something that is not worth giving up for anything. We focused on Proverbs 11:3.

"What I’m saying is, getting to the top doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice or trade in your integrity, just to get there a bit quicker. We can do that to get to where we are going quick but as fast as we go up we’ll come down even quicker. There is something beautiful about holding on to your beliefs, even if it means it takes a bit longer, and it’s a little harder. But you know that once you get there, wherever ‘there’ is, once you’re there, you’ll know that you didn’t have to trade anything or compromise at any point."

Day 181: Back to Our Roots

Today we talked about our roots and where they are planted. We talked about how we are standing on the prayers of our grandmothers, mothers, and elders. We focused on Mark 4:14-20 and 1 Corinthians 3:6.

"We cannot survive if our roots are not planted in God’s word, it is the good soil we need to be planted in in order for our roots to be strong and healthy, It is through Christ that we are able to have a relationship with God, and he is feeding us, and stabilizing us, and making sure our spirits are healthy and growing. That is when we start to grow in Christ. We get everything we need from Him."

Day 182: Not Today

Today we talked about having a good day. We talked about choosing to have a great day and not let anything stop us. We focused on Psalms 118:24.

" Have you ever noticed that these are the days you are tried the most, I mean the most, when all you want to do is have a good day it like all the forces for ruining your day come at you like the paparazzi comes after Justin Bieber. But the thing about it is, there is so much joy in the Lord that nothing can stop you, nothing can get to you because you’re already covered. You just smile for the cameras and keep it moving. So in the words of Hillsong United, 'Tell the devil, no not today.'"


I love you and I hope you have an amazing day. Enjoy your Sunday have some fun today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for Day 185!

Day 179: #LoveYourself Part 2

Mark 12:31

The second is this: ‘You should love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.

Ephesians 5:29

For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah does the church.

Psalms 139:14

I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.

Today we are taking it all the way back to the beginning, 171 days ago, but who's counting. On day seven of the devotional we started a little series on self love and this specific day was about loving yourself. I’m going to bring that theme back today and talk about loving the person you are from the inside, but also loving who you are on the outside. Being comfortable in your own skin and loving the person you are and not trying to shape and mould yourself into something or someone you think you should be. The goal of today is for us to be comfortable with who we are, and see that we are beautifully and wonderfully made.

“You’re always with yourself, so you might as well enjoy the company.”

– Diane Von Furstenberg

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in my twenty four years of living is to love myself and be comfortable with who I am. I spent so much time trying to change who I was an hating myself and not being comfortable in my own skin that I didn’t know what it meant to actually love myself. I didn’t know how to appreciate the body, the hair, the skin tone, the looks, the personality, or the gifts that God gave me. This as a result of me being bullied and blaming myself for being bullied. I hated who I was at a very young age, so I grew up very insecure, I hated my appearance, I hated my skin color, my hair, my height, everything about me I hated. But I loved acting because it gave me a chance to be someone else, that I could possibly fall in love with. Over the years as I’ve grown closer to God and closer to myself (I know that sounds weird but bear with me), I’ve learned that God made me who I am on purpose, He gave me this beautiful dark skin on purpose, this kinky-curly hair, that was on purpose too. My short stature, He gave that to me too. He created me in His image, in His hands, and I thank Him for that. I thank Him for showing me how to love who I am.

I believe that as people we are meant to love ourselves, if we don’t we cannot learn to love anyone else. As we pointed out in Day 7, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourself. Now call me crazy but i think that there is a demand in there to love ourselves. Jesus doesn’t say things on accident, and we tend to overlook the part that says “...As yourself”. But once we truly love ourselves we will be able to spread that love and pour it onto others. My mom used to always say, “hurt people, hurt people” meaning we tend to throw our own insecurities and our own heartache and pain on others. We project ourselves onto other people. How we treat ourselves is often how we treat others. So just imagine, if we are loving ourselves and feeling confident and beautiful, and good about the skin we are in. Thankful for who we are, and the life we live. How do you think we are going to treat others?

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” and Mark Twain said, “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”

We call the shots, we are responsible for our own happiness, we are responsible for loving ourselves. I am going to say that loving yourself is a human responsibility. We are not always going to get compliments but that doesn’t mean we are not beautiful and handsome. One of things I pray is that God will help me to do is, be comfortable in my own skin. He has given us freedom and a life to live abundantly, the only one who can limit that is us. We have to learn to accept and love every part about us, the weird parts, the crazy parts, the parts that others will hate. Life is about freedom, live freely and be yourself. I truly believe that God gave us all different personalities, He gave us all different looks, shapes, and sizes and He loves it. We are all a melting pot of diversity, we don’t look the same, or act the same. How boring would that be. So let’s love ourselves, Be comfortable with who we are and who God made us to be.

Reflection

1. Are you comfortable in your own skin?
2. Do you love yourself?
3. List everything you love about yourself, and remind yourself everyday that you are beautiful or you are handsome, and you are who God made you to be.

Prayer Time

Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer. Ask God to help you learn to love yourself or continue to love yourself.

If this is a area you struggle in or have a hard time with, please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns. I will answer them and talk to you and share with you.

I love you, know that your are beautiful on the inside and out. You are gorgeous, Make sure you share this with someone and come back tomorrow for Day 180!