I'm sure at some point today you have looked in the mirror and instantly found a number of flaws. You tell yourself that you're going to change them because you can no longer stand to look the way you do. At the same time, you've said that to yourself more than once with no radical transformations. The world provides a variety of options to choose from so that you can change your appearance in some way, but that takes time and money. If you are unwilling to put yourself through plastic surgery, can't bring yourself to buy a ton of makeup and learn how to apply it all, or don't have the initiative to diet and exercise, this leaves you with two options:
1. You can find an alternative or some sort of loophole to achieve your initial goal.
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2. You can simply learn to love yourself for the way you are.
The most simple route to take would be choosing to accept yourself and not proceed to change anything about yourself. However, this is not easy at all. Everyone has struggled with insecurities at some point. Those who struggle on a daily basis to even view themselves as remotely attractive, or likable, know this best. This is not to say that you cannot desire change for yourself, but rather you should stop comparing yourself to the unfair standards that society has placed on each and every individual.
Every time you go into a grocery store, there are magazines featuring celebrities, and we are taught that these are the people we should look up to. Even if the images of famous people on magazines are airbrushed and photo shopped, the world tells us that this is what we should strive to look like. Girls are often mistaken to believe that it is okay if we are objectified and thought of as lesser than men. Even if they suffer through an abusive relationship, girls desire to be loved so much that many of them simply continue to suffer. All in all, the corruption of society has always been at the core of the issue of insecurity. The world tells us that the career you have and how much money you make determines whether or not you have been successful. This is not only a flat out lie, but it is the complete opposite of what God's Word teaches us. Those who do not believe in Christ have a harder job than us because they do not find their worth in their creator.
The bad news is that it is exceedingly easy to get caught up with the false ideals that society teaches. It's inevitable in the world we live in, and because we are all human, we all will fail at some point. However, the good news is that we as Christians know that we are nothing apart from our God. This means that once we recognize that our identity is in Him and Him alone, we are able to look at ourselves and be okay that we do not measure up to the world's standards. Realizing that Christ is the reason we are even able to breathe is the first step to loving yourself. He is the reason we are here on this earth, and because of that, we are to live in devotion to him. A part of that devotion requires learning to love yourself and love the way your father created you.
Genesis 1:31 tells us, "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day." What is special about this verse is that right after creating man, God called His creation "very good." Prior to creating man, God simply called it "good." This entails that God prizes us above the rest of his creation, and we should view ourselves the same way. We have worth because God says that we do, and since we are called to obey him, it only makes sense that we should believe the same thing about ourselves that God believes about us. He calls us chosen and beloved, and he was willing to send his own son to die a gruesome death for us. If this does not show how valuable we are, nothing else will. The world will not satisfy, and no one will ever be able to measure up to its impossible standards. God, however, has shown us that we have already measured up to his. We have done nothing to deserve to be valued. We have done nothing to deserve Jesus' death on the cross to erase the sin we commit against him. We have done nothing to deserve the God who holds us dear to his heart and loves us unconditionally. If this kind of God loves you, then we surely should be able to learn ourselves.
There are an ocean of people in the world, but there is only one wave that is you. You are made uniquely, and your father molded you in his very hands. Never doubt your worth or the fact that you are a most prized creation. You are treasured above all else, and you are nothing less than that. Too often we feel worthless and unloved when the God above loves us more than anything else and sees our worth. Strive to view yourself through the lens of Christ rather than the lens of society. It is difficult, and there will be days that you fail, but there is so much beauty in knowing that the creator loves each of us just the way we are. My perspective had been corrupted by society for a long time, but eventually, God began to show me how truly valued I am in his eyes. Although it took time, I was able to finally see myself through His eyes instead of the world's, and this has made a drastic difference in my life. There are times I feel insecure and worthless, but at the end of the day, I know where my identity lies. This is how I learned to love myself.
