Loving Ourselves and Loving Others....

So, these past few weeks I have been perplexed about something. I have been hearing a lot about the need to love ourselves in order to love others. I haven't ever really struggled with loving others unconditionally, ever! I have always been happy being me. Yeah, I will admit that I would like somethings to be different about my body, but I am not going to do anything stupid to get those things.  I am very happy with who I am and my physical body. My body is a blessing to me. It houses my spirit, and is something that my Heavenly Father and Savior made just for me. It amazes me the things that They do for us. They help us to learn and grow, but we must be willing to first listen to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. Anyway, that was a bit off track. So, I was trying to understand what a few people have been telling me about loving myself, for several weeks. I don't really put myself down, there are times where I wish I had more book smarts, but I am very much okay with the knowledge that I have. In time I will learn more and add to my knowledge and I am perfectly fine with that.  Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ knows when I am ready for certain knowledge and experiences, even trials. I will admit that I doubt myself on occasion, but who doesn't? I accept myself for who I am, a Daughter of the most High God. That's one way I see myself, I see myself that way when He is carrying me through this life after I have broken down and feel as if I can't continue in this life. During times of hardship and challenges I see myself fighting along side of Him, a Warrior Daughter of God. I am never alone, neither are you!! No matter what you or anyone else thinks or if you don't even believe in God, you are not alone!! You have family, friends, coworkers, and even strangers who love you and want the absolute best for you. We are here to help each other, but nowadays we tear each other down, even ourselves. There isn't a day that goes by where my  heart doesn't break because of bullying. Yes, we bully ourselves, we let others tell us what we should be or shouldn't be, how to think or what to think. This happens way too much, it causes us to feel inferior to others, whether it's a member or members of our family, a friend, coworker, or even a complete and total stranger. We are NOT inferior to anyone, we don't need to believe in the lies about ourselves that are out there, because that's what they are lies. I will say that I have felt inferior to others, for a time it was family and friends, but more recently it was my coworkers. I confessed this to a couple of my coworkers and they both pointed out that we all have our strengths in different areas and that I don't need to feel inferior to anyone else. I love this quote by the Prophet Brigham Young, "If you have a bad thought about yourself, tell it to go to hell because that is exactly where it came from." So, anytime you are doubting yourself for any reason, or being really hard on yourself, tell those thoughts "to go to hell!" because you are more precious to so many people, most importantly you are beyond precious to our Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother and our Beloved Savior Jesus Christ. My mom has always told me, "You are priceless, not worthless." You are more valuable then you could ever imagine. We are not here to tear ourselves or other down, on the contrary, we are here to learn and grow, and accept ourselves and others in our lives. We can love them, and not necessarily accept their actions, whether that is towards us or others. It is their choice and all we can do is help them to the best of our ability, and accept the fact that they may not want anyone's help. For a long time, I felt like I was alone and doing fine in life. I look back now and realize that 1) I was not alone in my battles or life 2)  I was taking on way more then I should have (Something that I still do, and am working on). There is a lot that I am working on and through, right now, but I have given a lot more over to my Heavenly Father. Somethings we are working on together, and the things that I can not handle at all, right now, are the things that our Heavenly Father and our Savior have taken upon Themselves. That's exactly what our Lord Jesus Christ does for us, time and time again. However while He was here on this earth, He took it upon Himself to save us. ALL OF US!!! Every sin we have made or will make in this lifetime have been forgiven, because He loves us that much. He still loves us this very second. When we stray from Him and His guidance, He stands not far from us with arms wide open and He beckons to us "Come unto me." The more we open our hearts to others and become more accepting of ourselves and others, regardless of actions or words, we come unto Him. I am more accepting of myself when I am helping those less fortunate then me, the feeling I have makes me feel so amazing inside. That feeling is something that I want to share with the world. I have a lot on my plate right now, but once things calm down for me, I am going to find ways to volunteer and help those who are in need.    

So, I want to challenge anyone who is reading this and having a difficult time seeing what God sees in them. Ask your family, friends, maybe even coworkers or students from school, to write down what they love about you. Make a list of these things and keep it in a place where you can always read it, everyday!  Here are some scriptures you can read and study that maybe of some comfort to you as well. Bible versus' (King James Version): 1 Cor. 12:4-12, 1 Cor. 13, and these are from the Book of Mormon: Moroni 7:12-13, Moroni 10:8-18, and D&C 46:11-26


Until next time!!
Warrior Daughter