"Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are."
-Malcolm S. Forbes
-Malcolm S. Forbes
Learning how to treasure
myself has been one of the most prevalent topics of discussion in my many
conversations with God over the course of the last few months. God has been
such a comforting shoulder to lean my head on while figuring out how to take
care of myself. Turning to Him has provided me with rewarding disciplines that
I want to share with you today.
Ladies, the point of truly treasuring yourself is not for you
to put your life on hold and pull your credit cards out of your wallet to buy
things that make you happy or to place yourself in relationships that take the
worries of the world away. The point of treasuring yourself is to fully
acknowledge & appreciate the worth that God has given you.
I used to be that girl.
I would put my chaotic life on hold for a few hours and dive in to what I
thought was some much-needed retail-therapy for my soul. I wasted so much
money, time after time again, because I allowed it to be the root of my
happiness.
And here's what I learned: If the root of your happiness is not the Lord, then your
happiness is only temporary.
Point is, if you're not seeking your worth and identity
through God, you aren't going to fulfill the desperate and longing needs of
your heart.
The true
treasures that deserve your acknowledgement are your worth, your beauty, your
thoughts, you feelings, your emotions, your body, and your spirit; all of the things that make you who you
are. Not worldly things that make you happy, but YOU. The very you that God
created.
Treasure your worth because
you are priceless in His eyes.
"All
praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with
Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ
to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt
us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is
what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for
the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son, He is so rich in kindness and grace that he
purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He
has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God
has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill
his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will
bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven
and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have
received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes
everything work out according to his plan.
God’s
purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring
praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth,
the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he
identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised
long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the
inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He
did this so we would praise and glorify him," (Ephesians
1:3-14, NLT).
"If you
want to know how much you’re worth, look at the cross. Jesus with his hands
outstretched says, 'This is how much you’re worth to me. You’re worth dying
for.' You are infinitely valuable." -Rick Warren
Treasure your beauty because
God makes beautiful things out of dust, and He chose to make us.
"Those
who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed,"
(Psalms
34:5, NIV).
"...and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your
lord, bow to him,"
(Psalms 45:11, NIV).
"I
praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well," (Psalms 139:13, NIV).
" You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in
you,"
(Song of Solomon 4:7, NIV).
" He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has
put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done
from the beginning to the end," (Ecclesiastes 3:11,
NIV).
Treasure your thoughts and
your God-given voice with love & kindness. I'm guilty of being fearful of sharing my voice
on certain things at times. Not because my voice isn't welcome, but because I
fear judgment. And that right there, my friends, is Satan. Satan wants us to
believe that our voices don't matter because he knows how much potential we
have to be full-time, loud-voiced stewards of the Kingdom. By seeking
confidence through our relationship with God, Satan's words become meaningless
whispers. So, the next time those dark and destructive thoughts show up, let
them pass like clouds in the sky and wave goodbye to Satan.
"Fix your thoughts on what
is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think
about things that are excellent and worthy of praise," (Philippians 4:8).
"...but
just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we
speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts, (1 Thessalonians 2:4, NIV).
Treasure your feelings &
emotions rather than suppressing them. Your heart deserves to be cared for rather
than ignored. Let your blessings shine light into your heart, and allow God to
pour into you, as He desires. Let Him treasure you so that He can pour life in you and give life through
you.
"Above all
else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it,"
(Psalm 34:5, NIV).
Treasure your body. Give it rest and relaxation.
Nourish your body with things that give it energy and life. Your body is the
temple in which God's spirit dwells. Your body was also bought with a price. Take care of it.
"Or
do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom
you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So
glorify God in your body," (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, ESV).
"I urge you, brothers, in view of
God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to
God – this is your spiritual act of worship," (Romans
12:1, NIV).
"Keeping
your body in shape is a spiritual discipline. It’s not just about losing a few
pounds, wanting to live longer, or trying to look nicer. God created your body,
Jesus died for it, the Holy Spirit lives in it, your body is connected to
Christ, and it’s going to be resurrected one day. When it is, God’s going to
hold you accountable for how you managed what he gave you." -Rick Warren
And finally, treasure your
spirit.
You are
a beautiful piece of God's creation who has purpose. You matter. Meditate with
this mindset.
Breathe as
you rest in His presence.
Turn
your worries over to God.
Dive
into the Word.
Spend
time in nature.
Bathe
yourself in community.
Constantly
make yourself aware of the blessings that surround you.
Use the
love that flows through you to love others well.
Don't
forget that your spirit is on the journey of life with you, and God desires to
connect with you through it.
"Anyone
who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of
living water will flow from his heart,'" (John 7:38, NLT).
"My child, pay attention
to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them
penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and
healing to their whole body," (Proverbs 4:20-22,
NIV).
Treasuring ourselves is just like any other
spiritual discipline; it takes work, and the force behind that work belongs to
our intentionality. If we don't take care of ourselves, we won't be able to be
utilized to our fullest potential in the kingdom. We must appreciate our
worth, accept the understanding that we do have a purpose in this world, be
grateful that God chose us to reflect His image, and live out of the place of
love that God created us in order to reflect His image accordingly. If we
don't set aside time to take care of ourselves, we'll sink and become more
susceptible to Satan's lies. God desires for us to be heaven-minded, and that requires
being confident in who we are and Whose we are.
Treasure
yourself.
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