This week's topic may feel uncomfortable. I believe it's a topic that we as Christians avoid, especially women, but one that the rest of society seems to put way too much emphasis on. I'm talking about self-love.
I started to research this just this morning and quickly realized that I'm not going to be able to talk about it until I delve much deeper. So, I started looking at other topics but that just didn't feel right, like maybe God wanted me to stick to this topic.
What I can do is tell you how this came about.
- I'm a weight watchers member. One of the topics lately has been self-care, such as avoiding negative self-talk, finding time in our day to do what we need to do to care for ourselves, whether that's exercising, meditation, meal prep,...This past weekend there was a WW virtual event with Oprah. A lot of what was said made me feel uncomfortable because it's not what the bible says, but on the other hand, I was able to take what was said and apply the bible to it. One of the topics was guilt.
- Sunday's sermon was on John 8:1-11 and Pastor Brian talked about "surrender to Jesus' authority." He said that we need to seek forgiveness from Jesus and not let shame and guilt keep us from doing that. We can't let ourselves get caught up in the thinking that our guilt and shame should keep us from Christ. We can't fix it; only He can.
- Finally, yesterday was Valentine's Day. A day about love. It can be Valentine's, Galentine's, or Palentine's Day - whatever kind of love you chose to celebrate. However, it was also a bittersweet day for my daughters and me and for my in-laws because it was the 10-year anniversary of my husband's passing.
This past weekend was just a jumbled pot of emotions and self-reflection and that's how I came up with this week's topic. There are several bible verses that warn of self-love as a bad thing (see 2 Timothy 3:1-5), and I get that. But, I'm also a proponent of the idea that we need to love ourselves in order to be able to love and care for others. I can share examples of this tomorrow.
For no one ever hated his own flesh,
but nourishes and cherishes it,
just as Christ does the church,
Ephesians 5:29 ESV
*********
Please join me this week in praying for our individual selves and for us as the collective Church. May we realize our worth and responsibilities as children of God, being created in His image. May we go to Him even in the midst of our guilt and shame so that He may forgive us of our sins, help us to be more Christlike, and grow in our faith and obedience.
I'll post daily reminders on:
twitter @7DegreesOfMe
Facebook group 7th Hour Prayer Power
#7thHourPrayerPower #BibleVerses #bible #selflove #self #shame #guilt #selfesteem
No comments:
Post a Comment