Accept yourself and enjoy life moreDo you accept yourself, or are you constantly scolding yourself because you make mistakes and have faults? Many singles set impossible standards for themselves, even higher than God sets for them. They go through life frustrated and angry because they aren't perfect. We should all try to improve, but beating yourself up is not the way to do it.
Accept yourself by being realisticMany of us say things to ourselves we would never voice to another person. We're downright cruel, belittling ourselves when we feel we don't measure up. It's self-destructive and we need to stop it.We each need to face a simple truth: If we can overlook the flaws and shortcomings of our friends and family members, we can do it with ourselves, too. This is so crucial to our happiness that I can't stress it enough. Accept yourself by being optimisticNone of us is where we want to be, but with God's help, we can get there. That's a great source of optimism.Instead of viewing life with discouragement, see it as a work in progress. That's how God looks at you. Change is hard, but if we do it in small steps, we can make meaningful improvement. Don't keep replaying the things you've done wrong. Focus on the gains you've made. Feel good about how far you've come. Accept yourself because God accepts youWhen you think about how much God loves you and finds you precious, just the way you are, you'll see things from a different perspective.We can keep no secrets from God. He knows everything about us, yet he loves us anyway. I still remember something my Dad said to me when I was a small boy, over 50 years ago. I was feeling sad because I was having trouble with one of my subjects in school. I just couldn't get it. He looked me in the eye and said gently:
That's the way God feels about you. And when we make mistakes or mess up, we have to remember we did the best we could at the time. Remember that God is kind and generous. When you learn to receive his enormous love for you, you'll feel a new-found sense of confidence and strength. Growth is the goal, not perfection. When you live that out, every day becomes an opportunity to know true, soul-deep joy.
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