Have you ever heard the phrase, “Treat someone the
way you want to be treated.” The idea is
a simple yet compelling platitude. As we
interact with all kinds of people if we could just treat them the way we would
like to be treated this world would be a better place. It’s a great idea … but the problem is often
our execution.
We struggle not just in the way we treat others but
in the way we treat ourselves. All too
often we have a warped or distorted view of who we are and while we work
desperately to love others in our lives we forget to first love ourselves.
We aren’t talking about making everything about you,
or about making all of your wishes and desires the most important things in
your life. What we are talking about is
loving who you are, embracing your God given identity and allowing that love to
inform how you actually treat others.
Because if you can see yourself and love yourself
through the correct lens you will be more likely to see others as they are and
love them in spite of the faults and failure.
So let’s take a moment and remember a little bit
about who YOU are …
YOU
ARE ACCEPTED
Romans
15:7 - Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring
praise God.
We tend to get caught up in trying to be accepted
and loved by others, but Christ loves and accepts us right where we are. And we are encouraged to love and accept not
just ourselves but others as well in the same light – just as we are. When we do this we are told that it brings praise
directly to God.
YOU
ARE SET APART
Jeremiah
1:5 – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set
you apart …
You are unique and different … and that’s a good
thing! It’s part of God’s plan. You are gifted and skilled and you have a
purpose. Never forget that God chose you
to be YOU – and he wants to partner with you to bring hope, healing and love to
the world.
YOU
ARE FREE
Romans
8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you are
free. You don’t carry the burden of all
of your mistakes and sins. Instead of
worrying if you are good enough you can take comfort in knowing that Jesus has
your back.
We could go on and on with scripture after scripture
confirming the truth about our identity.
The point is that in order to love the world – meaning our family, or
friends, or workplace, our community, etc.
– We must first love ourselves.
We must begin to see ourselves the way that God does
and love who we are just as God loves us … right where we are now.
No comments:
Post a Comment