Every day, most of us are nice. We smile at the person passing by us in the grocery store. We hold the door open for the person coming in behind us. We buy gifts for our friends and family. We say please and thank you, yes ma’am, and yes sir. Overall, we are nice, but are you nice to yourself?
I am not always nice to myself. I am not kind when I need to hear an encouraging word. I am not gentle when I need a helping hand. I criticize myself when I can’t do things like everyone else. I tell myself I am not good enough when I don’t look like others around me. I am not a nice person…to myself.
As Christians, we are called to love others, but we must also love ourselves. Love comes straight from God. “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7. “We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19. Love is at the core of everything we should be as Christians. You can have the most faith, the most hope, and have racked up the most attendance points for going to church, but if you don’t have love at the center of your life, none of it matters.
So, I have decided to start doing something nice for myself every week. I’m not sure yet what all that will look like, but I am ready to start! I think this week, I will take time to do my fingernails and toenails. I have always loved doing my nails, but usually I do it quickly before I walk out the door. I am going to take the time to do them nicely and pamper myself. Next week, who knows?
What are you going to do this week to be nice to yourself? I encourage you to do something that makes you truly happy. Spend time with friends, read a good book, find mental relief in prayer, take care of your body, forgive yourself, encourage yourself, and most importantly, remember that you are a child of God.
This week’s recipe is a fruit salad. I know you think fruit salad is something that your old granny brings to the family reunion, but trust me, this one is a modern take with an autumn flair. It is so yummy! I know my family loves it, and I am sure yours will too.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 1 John 4:18.
April 19, 2024
