To Love Yourself [ADVENTure Sixteen]

What is your initial feeling when you hear the question, "What do you like most about yourself?"

For years, that question would make me cringe. In my teens and early twenties, I might not have known how to answer it at all. Depression and anxiety robbed me of self-confidence and a sense of self-worth. For years, I didn't really like myself. For most of my life, I based my thoughts and opinions of myself by how I believed others perceived me. It was paralyzing. 

It breaks my heart when I hear people continuously putting themselves down. It breaks my heart even more when I discover that someone who I thought was a self-confident person is struggling with liking anything about themselves. 

When asked this question this morning, the three children who were participating in the discussion were able to list things that they like about themselves and things they do well without a problem. I nearly cried. And then I realized that when I heard the question, I immediately thought of things I like about myself and things I do well - without hesitation or an iota of doubt. 

I like that I'm creative, am a good problem-solver, am kind, and am generous with my time and talents. 

I am a child of God. God loves me in my triumphs and through my mistakes. God loves me in my wholeness and my brokenness. God loves me when I find it difficult to love myself ... and reminds me that I should love me, too. 

What do you like most about yourself?