Love Who You Are

by Devin Dummel

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.