Do You Love You?

Valentine’s Day. It’s fast approaching. Bring on the roses, the wine, the chocolate and the date night. T-minus eight days. You ready?

V-day can be an exciting time for the loved ones in the world, but it can also be a sad time. You may have just broke it off with your significant other or potentially they aren’t here anymore to enjoy this holiday with. Whatever your circumstance is there is one thing that both Valentine’s Day lovers and haters both need and want: self-love.

So I pose the question, “Do you love yourself?” Valentine’s Day is all about the love between two people, but what about the love between you and yourself. Yes or no? Sometimes or all the time? We all struggle at some level with this topic. For some it’s our appearance. Are we pretty enough? COULD I HAVE bigger thighs? Why does my hair only look flawless when I’m staying home and seeing no one?  For others, it is struggling with negative thoughts about oneself. Am I funny enough? Do people like me? Am I smart? You fill in the blank for yourself.

He’s funny, isn’t he? The devil. I mean we have the Holy Spirit working in us, yet he can make one look at our bodies or one negative thought in our head make us forget all about where we came from. We forget that we are created in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27) Do you honestly believe God would create someone ugly? I mean he’s gotta look at us everyday and I highly doubt he wants to look at something not beautiful. But that devil, man oh man, he will put that mustard seed of doubt in our minds and just like that, we let him.

You see, we were born fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) We should start acting like it. We need to love ourselves, then we can love others like He loves us. The devil can put in that seed of negativity, but we can block it with a firm belief that we are fearfully made. It’s how we respond to that seed that will shape the way we look at ourselves.

Personally, I’ve struggled with this. Thanks to that perfect sidekick of mine (she’s great isn’t she? NOT!) I’ve always worried about if I am perfect enough for this or that. Am I a good enough teacher? What about business person, friend, or family member? Does Preston really want to spend forever with me, I mean we are only 21? The list goes on and on. I’m sure it does for some of you, too.

Yet, I’ve learned that I chose how I look at myself. I make my life happen, not the other way around. Society will tell you different, heck maybe even “friends”, but remember you are a chosen race..a royal priesthood..a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9) THAT..that is something far more powerful than any thought the devil could place inside your mind.

So this Valentine’s Day, whether you’re sipping on spaghetti Lady and the Tramp style or having a full on Galantine’s Day or bro-fest, remember to love yourself, too.