As a progressive Christian, I believe there are many names for God and many ways to a loving God; this article reflects one of those ways. Take from here what works for you. Celebrate life with joy and peace!
How many of you remember playing the game “Truth or Dare” when you were young? I’d like to give you a truth and a dare. Ready?
The truth is you are God’s masterpiece and you are fabulous, unique, strong, amazing and wonderful, ‘cause God makes no mistakes!
The dare is to believe it! And be happy with who you are right now, accepting yourself, loving yourself faults, wrinkles, bumps and bulges and everything else!
Many of us don’t realize it, but the root cause of many social, physical and emotional problems is simply the fact that we don’t like ourselves. We’re uncomfortable with how we look, or how we talk, or how we act. We’re constantly comparing ourselves with other people, wishing we were something different.
So many people are insecure about who they are, so they constantly try to gain the approval of everyone around them so they can feel better about themselves. It’s not always easy! My process has been about learning to accept, love and integrate all of who God made me to be and then try to be genuine and authentic in all I do. It’s quite a journey, and I’m still on it, and will be for the rest of my life.
The last article I talked about Enlarging Our Vision of Compassion and this week, the second step to living your best life now is developing a healthy self-image; learning to base our self-image and see ourselves the way God, our Creator, sees us, based on the book by Rev. Joel Osteen.
Your self-image is like a self-portrait. Many times our self-image may or may not be an accurate reflection of who you really are, but it is how you perceive yourself to be.
“Who do you think you are?”
Our self-image is not a physical part of our body. It’s more a subconscious “governor” that controls our actions. Every person has an image of themselves. The question is does your image of who you are line up correctly with who God says you are?
God wants us to have healthy, positive self-images, to see ourselves as priceless treasures. God wants us to feel good about ourselves. God knows we’re not perfect, that we all have faults and weaknesses; that we all make mistakes. But the good news is God loves us unconditionally!
We are created in God’s image, and God is continually shaping us, forming us and helping us to become our best selves.
So, let’s learn to love ourselves, faults and all, because that’s how God loves us. You are God’s special masterpiece!
How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as a victim or a victor?
God sees you as a champion. No matter how you see yourself, that’s how God sees you.
Remember the truth and dare? The truth is that God sees you as strong and courageous, as a victor with great honor and value. The dare is to believe it!
