yourself, do you think others will respect you? If you don’t love yourself, can others love you? Of course not. But if you are comfortable in your own skin, others will take comfort in your presence. If you make others feel good about themselves because of your positive, encouraging, accepting, and inspiring presence, I believe love will find you.
When I speak at schools and church gatherings for young people, I always tell them that God loves them just as they are. I tell them they are beautiful and that they need to appreciate themselves as much as God does. Those are simple words. Yet every time I say them, the tears start flowing. Why is that? It’s because young people especially think they must fit in orbe cast out. Too often they feel it’s necessary to have a certain look, certain clothing, certain physical attributes, certain this or that to be accepted. But that’s not true. God accepts us as we are.
You are a beautiful child of God. If the Father of us all—the Creator of the universe—loves you, then you must love yourself as well.
G IVE L OVE TO R ECEIVE I T
Now, maybe someone you loved and trusted broke your heart. I know it’s little consolation, but many others, including me, have gone through this truly awful and humbling experience. But a breakup and betrayal does not make you unworthy. A failed relationship only means that it was the wrong relationship for you. I know that right now you may find it difficult to see why things went wrong, but someday you will understand. In the meantime do not make the mistake of shutting down your ability to love and be loved.
For a time I didn’t trust God to make a match for me. I was lonely and tried to push friendships into relationships even when my feelings were not reciprocated. Kanae taught me the beauty of a true loving relationship in which both people are all-in. Loneliness can make you feel that you should settle for a relationship that may be comfortable but lacks the spark of love. But you should not compromise on love. Instead, believe in it. In the Bible, Jesus commands us to love as He loves: “Love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Understand that there are many single people with fulfilling and joyous lives. I know unmarried people whose lives are complete with the love of God. I had a strong desire to be married and one day to have a family, but over time I put it in God’s hands. I left it to His will to decide whether I would remain single or not.
Okay, I admit that I did pray to God to make Kanae love me, but she was praying that I loved her too. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time. It’s better to ask the Lord to help you find the one whom He wants you to be with. Pray:
Lord, take my feelings for this person away if it is not Your will
or
If this is the person You want for me, please let us love each other according to Your plan
.
N EVER G IVE U P ON L OVE
You may have tried and lost before. Maybe you’ve had relationships that did not work out. Consider them preparatory courses for the real thing. I’ve had failed relationships. I’ve put my heart out there only to discover that the other person was more interested in a friendship than romance—or worse, neither one! As painful as those breakups and rejections were, I refused to give up on love and loving. It’s just too important. Without love we are nothing.
The Bible makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
For many years I prayed and prayed and prayed for a woman who would truly love me. Did I ever feel discouraged? Yes!
When I speak at schools and church gatherings for young people, I always tell them that God loves them just as they are. I tell them they are beautiful and that they need to appreciate themselves as much as God does. Those are simple words. Yet every time I say them, the tears start flowing. Why is that? It’s because young people especially think they must fit in orbe cast out. Too often they feel it’s necessary to have a certain look, certain clothing, certain physical attributes, certain this or that to be accepted. But that’s not true. God accepts us as we are.
You are a beautiful child of God. If the Father of us all—the Creator of the universe—loves you, then you must love yourself as well.
G IVE L OVE TO R ECEIVE I T
Now, maybe someone you loved and trusted broke your heart. I know it’s little consolation, but many others, including me, have gone through this truly awful and humbling experience. But a breakup and betrayal does not make you unworthy. A failed relationship only means that it was the wrong relationship for you. I know that right now you may find it difficult to see why things went wrong, but someday you will understand. In the meantime do not make the mistake of shutting down your ability to love and be loved.
For a time I didn’t trust God to make a match for me. I was lonely and tried to push friendships into relationships even when my feelings were not reciprocated. Kanae taught me the beauty of a true loving relationship in which both people are all-in. Loneliness can make you feel that you should settle for a relationship that may be comfortable but lacks the spark of love. But you should not compromise on love. Instead, believe in it. In the Bible, Jesus commands us to love as He loves: “Love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
Understand that there are many single people with fulfilling and joyous lives. I know unmarried people whose lives are complete with the love of God. I had a strong desire to be married and one day to have a family, but over time I put it in God’s hands. I left it to His will to decide whether I would remain single or not.
Okay, I admit that I did pray to God to make Kanae love me, but she was praying that I loved her too. Of course, I didn’t know that at the time. It’s better to ask the Lord to help you find the one whom He wants you to be with. Pray:
Lord, take my feelings for this person away if it is not Your will
or
If this is the person You want for me, please let us love each other according to Your plan
.
N EVER G IVE U P ON L OVE
You may have tried and lost before. Maybe you’ve had relationships that did not work out. Consider them preparatory courses for the real thing. I’ve had failed relationships. I’ve put my heart out there only to discover that the other person was more interested in a friendship than romance—or worse, neither one! As painful as those breakups and rejections were, I refused to give up on love and loving. It’s just too important. Without love we are nothing.
The Bible makes this very clear in 1 Corinthians 13: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
For many years I prayed and prayed and prayed for a woman who would truly love me. Did I ever feel discouraged? Yes!
Similar Books
