Authentic self-love sourced from God’s love never fails. We as humans will inevitably experience doubt, fear, missteps, and insecurity. However, just as God remains faithful to us in our times of faithlessness because we are His mirror-image creation, mature self-love will respond to our shortcomings with patience, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Self-love always returns home to God’s welcoming arms.
Self-love endures: sustains trust, belief, and hope in the goodness of God’s promises while in the midst of painful, difficult, or unclear circumstances. Self-love holds fast to the absolute truth of what God says about us – that we are purposed masterpieces handcrafted by Him – despite the name-calling, put downs, criticisms, attacks, judgments, dismissals, intolerance, and disapproval of the world.
Self-love hopes all things and remains steadfast during difficult times. But what does that mean really? Hope? The dictionary definition of hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. The word instructs us to hope in God, hope in God’s word, hope in Jesus, hope in God’s promises, hope in salvation through Jesus, hope in the glory of God, hope in God’s grace, and hope in God’s steadfast love.
Self-love believes all things are possible in God. When we root our belief in God’s word – in the promises of God, in who God is, in who God says we are – we will experience the supernatural joy, peace, and hope of the Holy Spirit no matter the circumstances.
Self-love is resting in God’s grace. The scripture says that love bears all things regardless of what may come. God wants us to love ourselves by depending upon Him: place our worries, fears, and upsets upon His shoulders. Look to Him for answers and direction instead of trying to figure everything out on our own with our limited human understanding. Rest our minds, bodies, and spirits knowing that God will guide us through every challenge to the victory already won on our behalf.
Self-love honors truth: personal truth, cultural truth, spiritual truth, and the objective truth. Personal truth encompasses the mental, emotional, and physical journey through our experiences. Ten people can be present during the same incident and walk away with a different personal truth. The response and reaction of each person’s experience is true for them. No one is more right or wrong than the other. Accepting our personal truth without judgment is the first step toward freedom.
Self-love is guided by principles, integrity, and rectitude. I have heard it said that if we fail to stand for something, we will fall for anything. Loving ourselves launches an examination of the beliefs and values that influence our thoughts, decisions, and actions. When we firmly root our value system in God’s and be not moved from those principles, we naturally do right by ourselves (and others) especially when we are vulnerable.
Self-love is forgiving others and ourselves. The scripture says to not take into account a wrong suffered or endured. People will hurt us, disappoint us, not live up to our expectations. We will set others up for failure with our unrealistic and perfectionistic expectations. Holding onto anger, resentment, old hurts, and [fill in the blank] is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. Unforgiveness only hurts ourselves.
Self-love is peace and remains at peace when chaos and uncertainty swirl in our lives. How is that possible? I can’t pay my bills. I can’t go to work because of an unexpected illness. It looks like divorce is inevitable. My child just got into trouble… again. Where is the peace in that? Peace inherently rules in our spirits because of Jesus’ presence. Wherever Jesus is, there is peace. Jesus is peace.
Self-love considers our health and well-being needs. Self-love makes decisions and takes actions to care for those needs. Taking actions to protect ourselves from mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, or financial abuse, exploitation, manipulation, and oppression is NOT self-seeking, selfish, or self-serving. It is essential – self-love.