Finding things to love in ourselves

Hi Everyone, Danica Favorite here, and I wanted to share something that's been on my heart for a while. I recently read an article that said yesterday was the day most people give up on their New Year's resolutions. Wow! It's hard to imagine that when people make all these resolutions, they give up on day 17 of 365 (or 366, as this year has!). And yet, I kind of think it's okay.

So many people's resolutions are about changing things about themselves, and even though I think we all have room to grow, I also wonder, how many of us have learned to love ourselves as we are? A few years ago, I was praying about my weight loss journey, and how, no matter what I did, those 20 pounds the doctor insists I need to lose weren't coming off. As I was praying, I felt God asking me if I could love the body He gave me. I started working on loving myself, loving my body, and being grateful for what I have. A funny thing happened in that process. I lost weight. I didn't become model-thin, or have one of those bodies that people envy, but my clothes started fitting better, and I started to feel better.

When I stopped complaining about everything that was wrong with my body, the changes I'd been hoping for came about all by themselves! 

I've read in several different places that our subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between the truth and a lie, and it doesn't understand negatives. So when you keep telling yourself, "I am so fat," or "I won't overeat this time," your subconscious mind directs your body to make it true. You get fatter, because that's what you've been telling yourself. You overeat because your subconscious mind doesn't hear the won't. I'm fascinated by the mind because so many of the battles we face are mental. Yet so many of those mental battles come from a spiritual issue.

Can you love the body God gave you, even if it's not the body you want? Can you find a way to be grateful for the flaws within you that you desperately want you to change? 

Lately I've been depressed by some minor health issues that have forced some lifestyle changes that I don't like. As I was yet again mentally grumbling about it, I remembered the lesson I learned with my weight loss. How can I still love myself, love my body, and be grateful for what I have, even in the midst of a lot of things I don't want? I spend so much time focused on what I don't want, that my brain is going into overdrive making those bad things continue to happen, and all the while, God is asking me, "Can you just be satisfied with what you have?"

So today I am thanking God. I am grateful for my body. I am grateful for the intelligence He put into my body. I am grateful for all the things my body CAN do. I am grateful for all the ways I feel good. Most importantly, I am grateful for the way God uses these setbacks as an invitation for more intimacy with Him.

Are there things in me that need to change? Absolutely! But instead of making resolutions I'm not going to keep or focusing on all the bad things in me, I'm choosing to love myself- the good, the bad, the ugly, and even those extra pounds- and spend time thanking God for all the wonderful things He has created in me.

About Danica:

A self-professed crazy chicken lady, Danica Favorite loves the adventure of living a creative life. She and her family recently moved in to their dream home in the mountains above Denver, Colorado.  Danica loves to explore the depths of human nature and follow people on the journey to happily ever after. Though the journey is often bumpy, those bumps are what refine imperfect characters as they live the life God created them for. Oops, that just spoiled the ending of all of Danica’s stories. Then again, getting there is all the fun.

You can connect with Danica at the following places:

Website: http://www.danicafavorite.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/danicafavorite
Instagram: https://instagram.com/danicafavorite/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanicaFavoriteAuthor

Where do you need to love yourself, instead of beating yourself up?