LOW SELF-WORTH TO CONFIDENCE

I was always taught as a child that I was not to be proud. Pride goes before a fall and Satan was proud, before he fell, you know. However, what they didn’t tell me was that there is a healthy pride which gives you confidence in who you are. So I went into adulthood with a very low self-esteem and not much confidence or courage to be who I was meant to be. Then they were telling me that I had to show love to my neighbor as I loved myself. In order to love my neighbor as myself I had to love myself which means that I had to have a good self-esteem. However, by then the damage had been done and I headed into years of inner healing and great struggles to capture a sense of worth and significance. I have come a long way but it is still something that I struggle with because it is so important for my emotional, physical and spiritual health.
I was pondering lately that if God made me and made me for a specific purpose then I must be ok. In fact I must be fabulous. After all I am made in His imagine, right?

I am choosing to look at myself in the third person.

How would I look at someone else?
What amazing things would I see in them?
How would I enjoy and celebrate their strengths and uniqueness?
How would I overlook their weaknesses so that I wouldn’t be clouded my judgments of them?
How would I react as they failed when I saw that they were really trying?
How do I walk in love for that person and try to follow 1 Corinthians 13?

I realize that I need to have that view towards myself. I need to step back and really look at who I am and celebrate me. I have to like what I see in order to have victory and breakthrough in my life.
I really am starting to like myself. I think I am an awesome person. God likes me too. I don’t have to receive affirmations from anyone else in my life when I just like me. When I like myself then others will too. Even with that, I have realized that not everyone will like me but as long as I do then that is all that really matters.

SELFISHNESS TO LOVE

I would rather take a shot from you then to not give you a shot.

I would rather have an argument with you then not get to know who you really are.

I would rather see the hurt in you then a false smile cross your lips.

I would rather see the good in you then judge you for the bad I may see.

I would rather give you a second, third, fourth and fifth chance then hold your mistakes against you.

I would rather offer forgiveness to you then hold you in jail.

I would rather give you a gift then take things away from you.

I would rather celebrate your victory then point out your faults.

I would rather put your needs ahead of mine.

I would rather be your friend then your enemy.

I would rather love you then selfishly hold back my love from you.

HOPELESSNESS TO HOPEFULNESS

Are you walking in hopelessness or are you FULL of HOPE?

I was looking at one of my paintings one day and thinking about comments that I received from different people about my paintings. Someone said they didn’t care for my style of art and why did I make them so big. A more positive person took one look at one of my paintings and said, “Wow that is glorious! That should be 30 feet high!”

Negative people see things as being not up to their expectations.
Positive people see things with greater expectations in mind.
Negative people are discouraging and rob you of your courage.
Positive people are encouraging and give you greater courage to go for it.
Negative people say, "Why do you even try? You will never amount to anything or you can't do that."
Positive people say, "Go for it. That is so awesome and you can even do bigger things!
Negative people steal your dreams away with their words.
Positive people give life to your dreams and enhance them.

I am learning in my life to only share my dreams with

dream-enhancers

and not

dream-stealer's.

If you believe that God has given you something to do that is so big and exciting that it even scares you then sharing it with a negative person will only bring you down. Share with those who you know will be your cheer leaders.