Relationships are the most fulfilling, yet often challenging gifts God gives us. They enrich our life, enable us to fulfil our destiny and teach us to give of ourselves. Therefore God calls you and I to develop healthy, strong and mature relationships that function well and that honour Him.

When I consider my relationships with others, I often return first to the relationship I have with myself as it is from this that so much else flows. To sow into your relationships effectively, be interested in the hearts of others and give of who you are, you need to have established within your life a positive self-relationship! It is vital for living a successful life. And when we know God’s unconditional love for us, we begin to love ourselves and feel comfortable in our own skin. It is out of this wholeness that our love for others can truly be expressed …. we have so much more to give!

I enjoy being me. There have been plenty of times that I have wished desperately to be someone else or somewhere else! But they are fleeting moments as I have spent time taking hold of what God really thinks of me and am so grateful for what He has placed in my personality and spirit. I like my little quirks and the uniqueness of the way He moulded me (Thank you for making me wonderfully complex! Psalm 139) and I am forever finding out more about myself and what I am capable of doing. We are all on a journey in our relationship with God but remember that in loving Him, He asks you to love and believe in yourself because of all that He has placed inside of you and all the dreams He wants you to fulfill.

Here are some key pointers to help you in your journey of appreciating who you are:

• Remember that you were formed by His hand and He loves the unique you and has a call on your life for you to fulfill. If you truly know God’s love as Father in your world; healing and transforming you, you will love who you are and all that He wants you to become.
• Develop a positive self-image. Your self-worth, identity and significance are wrapped up in Jesus and what He has done in your life. God alone brings you wholeness and not others around you. We do need to accept who we are, our appearance and personality; whilst working on any areas we would like to change (one at a time!)
• Be more concerned with what God thinks about you than others in your world. Avoid falling into the devil’s trap of comparing your life and gifts with others and appreciate and explore what amazing treasures God has deposited in YOU. Be true to yourself and do not pretend to be anyone else.
• Learn to self-motivate. Preaching to yourself is a powerful tool. The tongue can kill or nourish life so make sure you build yourself up with words not tear yourself down.
• Exercise, eat and sleep well. Take out some time to look after your body!
• Nurture self-respect in your life. Plan things into your life that give time just for you. Take yourself out for a coffee…pay for a great haircut. Do whatever relaxes and gives you time out and makes you feel GOOD.
• Let God whisper those words of belief in your ear. He has equipped and empowered you to do so much more than your brain can imagine. Rise up with confidence in who you really are.
• Learn how to move on from past mistakes and forgive yourself. We have the capacity to not only disappoint others but also ourselves. Yet we cannot afford to live in this frustration and feeling like we have let ourselves down. We need to grasp the lessons that our mistakes teach us and the forgiveness God pours out upon us and ‘Forget the past and look forward to what lies ahead’ Philippians 3:13.

Enjoy growing your relationship with yourself and treasure it!