"Love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18) This verse I have always kind of glanced over. I get it. Love everyone like I want to be loved. But lately God has made me realize... It's kind of hard to love your neighbor fully when you do not love yourself. I want to be secure in my knowledge of who I am in God's eyes because really He is all that matters. So let's face the lies that often invade our minds!

1.) I am ugly and no one will ever like me.

I read this and wonder how anyone could ever think something like that. If anyone told me this I would shake them and list all of the wonderful talents and gifts God has provided them with. I would remind them that I love them and nothing they could ever do could change that. I would, more importantly, remind them that they were made in the image of God, "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalms 139: 13-14 God formed you, my dear friend. You may not see your beauty but God sure did and still does and always will. You are a citizen of Heaven (Phil 3:20) and what the world says about you does not define you. Let God's love define you. It is the most beautiful thing.

2.) I sinned again and I cannot talk to God about it because I suck.

A great analogy I heard at a recent Locamente went something like this:

You are at a party. A guy walks up to you and a friend and slaps a patty of mud on your friend's face. You stand their shocked.. because what the heck?! Then your friend runs and hides behind a curtain. You walk over and ask this friend what in the world they are doing. 'I am hiding behind this curtain so no one sees how dirty I am.' Then you tell your friend we could just ask the host where the bathroom is so you can get cleaned off. 'No, the host would find out I was dirty' You remind your friend that the host probably already knows because he was in the room when your friend was attacked by a mud pie. *Friend continues to hide behind curtain*

God already knows when we mess up there is literally no point in trying to hide it. He is NOT going to strike you dead for sinning (granted there are consequences for sin). In times of trouble we need to remember "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe." (Proverbs 18:10) Run to God. This world is full of temptation and we are going to fall at times. But God, He will never fall; He is our Redemptive Rock.

3.) It is pointless to be here.

Excuse you? If it is pointless for you to be here on Earth then why would God have created you? You are here for a purpose. You may not enjoy the circumstances right now but there is a very good reason as to why you are here. It can be SO hard to see and sometimes we cannot see it. But God knows why you are where you are. He sees our hearts and the plans we have/want for ourselves but His purpose will prevail (Proverb 19:21). And luckily it is all for our and God's good (Romans 8:28)

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

You have value, you are here for a reason. (God thinks your are enough to die for, that's pretty dang awesome!)

These are pretty harsh things to talk about but, unfortunately for some of us, it's a daily struggle. If God would not have made these truths evident to me early in my life, I would have given up on this world already. God is constantly finding ways to remind me just how awesome He is and how the things that I think about myself are wrong. God is my worth. Not these fleeting opinions and objects. I cannot live a single day without God. My mind and this world would consume me. I will spend eternity praising the God who decided that dying on the cross was worth a relationship with me. As for now and maybe forever I will marvel at this love I do not understand.