"A Declaration of Self-Acceptance"
If someone asked you if you accepted and loved yourself, how would you respond? In counseling hundreds and hundreds of people over the years, the more frequent response is, "Not so much."
We invite you to embrace the following declaration of who you truly are. Read it slowly aloud and remember that what you are reading is in full agreement with what God says about you.
I am me. I am made in the very image of God, just a little lower than the angels. I am unique. In the entire world there is no one exactly like me. This means that I am important to God.
I can accept myself because God accepts me. I can love myself because God loves me. I know that I matter because God sent his Son, Jesus Christ, and through him he gave me the chance to live abundantly and eternally.
I do not have to be perfect in order to be loved, because God loves me as I am—imperfect. This means that I am important even when I have rough edges in my life and when I make mistakes, even big ones. I can fail. I can stumble. God still says, “I love you!” I don’t have to have everything in the right order or have everything cleaned up for God to accept me. And in knowing this, I can live with myself. I have hope that I can take all that I am and all that I have to God—the good and the bad—and he will keep on helping me grow more and more into his image.
I can be totally honest. I can be my child-of-God self. I look forward to the plans he has for me. With his help and guidance, I will become a reflection of his love and acceptance toward myself and others.
So I accept the fact that I am important, that I have value and worth. I have eternal value. I love myself and I like myself, every part, because I choose to love who he loves—and that is me.
TO SHARE THIS POST: We hope you will share this blog post on your own social media sites and direct those you know to our ministry and publication sites. Use the links at the bottom of the page to help us spread this healing message of "loving ourselves the way God does."
BOOKS AND MEDIA: "Loving God, Loving Myself" and our Expanded Edition of "The Missing Commandment: Love Yourself," are available at jerryanddenisebasel.com and Amazon.com.
COUNSELING MINISTRY: If you or anyone you know is in need of finding a safe place for emotional and/or spiritual healing and restoration, please contact us at The Father's Heart Intensive Christian Counseling Ministry. Check out our web site at fathersheart.com or email us directly at fathersheartmin@gmail.com. We are located in the North Georgia Mountains in a retreat-like setting and counsel individuals or couples for periods of two to five-days in length.
