Decide To Like Who You Are

I heard these words last week and I’ve been thinking about them ever since.

“Decide to like who you are.”

Spoken by Sally Clarkson in a Tuesday Teaching through a writing community called Hope*writers, these six words have caused me to intentionally answer some questions. Do I like who I am? If so, why? If not, why not?

Do I like me?

There was a time in my life when I didn’t like who I was. I had made a terrible string of mistakes and sat in my sins far too long. As I came to grips with it all, my self-esteem and self-respect took a nosedive. As a result, I struggled with liking who I was.

I mean, how could I have done such things? I knew better. Anger, disbelief, and disgust were the emotions that filled me when my thoughts would recall what I had done. Those thoughts and emotions led me down an unhealthy path of negativity and despair. This likely was the darkest, most debilitating, most trying time in my life.

After much intentional heart work, and confession of where I had fallen short, I slowly began to accept myself as a person whom God still loved. God created me. His love wasn’t–and isn’t–based on my actions. It’s all based on Him. He had forgiven me, and continues to do so when I mess up.

Hallelujah, He forgives me! Yes, I’m still a work in progress, but at least I’m progressing! I don’t have to be perfect because God already is.

I made the decision to like who I was.

Even though I messed up, even though I wasn’t perfect, if God could still love me, I could still love myself, too. Even with my flaws, my mistakes, my mess-ups. With being an imperfect person, who does imperfect things and thinks imperfect thoughts.

God calls us to put our identity in Him, and when we do, we begin to have a right understanding of who we are. Even when we mess up.

When we decide to like who we are, it affects how we treat others.

When we make that decision to like who we are, we are more apt to like others, too. We, then, are less likely to compare ourselves with others because we’re happy with who we are.

Let’s be ones who lift others up instead of tearing them down.

Let’s think loving thoughts about the woman who walks in the room instead of sizing her up and making judgments whether or not we like her based on her appearance.

May we introduce ourselves to those we don’t know and be the first ones to be kind.

May we look for the good in others. Always.

Let’s be helpful more than hurtful.

Let’s be the women God calls us to be.

Decide today to like who you are.

God created you to be you and me to be me. He created us marvelously. He’s given each of us unique talents and gifts to bless the world around us and to glorify Him. God loves us more than we can begin to comprehend. And, He’s never going to abandon us. Ever. If the One who created us likes us, we can like ourselves, too.

Make the decision today to like who you are, because you are amazing! When you decide to like who you are, others are influenced by you to like who they are. Why not help another to realize how great she is, too, today?

God bless you, friend. You are loved!

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