Has it ever occurred to you that you have a relationship with yourself?

Auntie Joyce (Meyer) spoke about something that I have never really thought about… I don’t know about you, but this concept intrigues me considerably…

Just think about it… You spend the most time with yourself. More time with you than with anybody else. You can never get away from yourself – not for one second. You have the most opinions about yourself. You know everything about yourself. You talk to yourself. You talk about yourself. You have a relationship with yourself. Good or bad.

Now the problem is when you don’t like yourself… Imagine spending every second of your life with the one person you can’t stand. The one person who can never do things right or the way you want them to be done. The one person who you don’t like looking at, because they are so ‘ugly’ in your eyes. That’s what it's like not liking yourself…

But, we don’t think about it like that, because we see these judgments of ourselves as opportunities for ‘improvement’.

Now imagine having a relationship with someone for the rest of your life, but this person isn’t someone you can stand at the moment. You don’t mind, because you see the relationship as an opportunity to ‘fix’ that person so that they can become someone you actually like one day…

Problem is, you still have to spend time with that imperfect person until that day comes… And with the ‘fixer’ mindset you’ll always find room for improvement… which means you’ll NEVER like that person… what a miserable life…

Now with that said, how does one have a relationship with yourself that is not as depressing as the one just described?

Well, I believe it is quite simple… How do you treat and feel about the people who you love and admire the most in your life? Your mom or dad or partner or leader? How do you treat them? With respect? With kindness? You probably don’t constantly insult or offend them? Or judge or criticize them?

You encourage them. You compliment them. You learn from their mistakes. You ensure them that regardless of their mistakes and failures that you still love them. You treat them gently. You build them up with your words.

Now, think a bit how you speak to yourself?

If it feels strange to intentionally speak to yourself, here’s how I have been practicing it (try looking in the mirror whilst doing this to make things fun):

“[Insert your name here], you are so awesome. You have such a good and gracious heart. You have a great sense of style and a strange, but interesting vocabulary. You make corny jokes, but hey, someone’s gotta make them. You are beautiful. I accept you exactly the way you are right now at this very moment – with your freckles and curves and very emotional days. You are worthy. You are to die for actually. Jesus thinks so too.”

(If you’re a guy you probably would want to replace “beautiful” with “handsome” and other manly words…)

Let’s stop being so hard on ourselves.

Let’s start enjoying our own company.

Let’s look for reasons to love ourselves.

I assure you there are MANY.

Make a list! Stick it on your mirror!

Number one should be: Made in God’s image.

This means that you have God’s characteristics in your DNA!

So what is God’s character:

God is Love, right?

Then what is Love?

Love is patient, love is kind.

Which then HAS to mean that

YOU are PATIENT,

YOU are KIND.

Apply the rest of this TRUTH about yourself to yourself:

Replace LOVE with your name.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7New Living Translation (NLT)

4 (I am) patient and kind. (Love)is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. (Love)does not demand its own way. (Love)is not irritable, and (Love) keeps no record of being wronged. 6 (Love) does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 (Love) never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

BE ~~WITH~~ SOMEONE THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.

Love