Celebrate You!

I've come to realize that for most of my life I have been working hard to be better. Learning and changing are good things. I believe we should try to be the best we can be. We are meant to be progressive beings- if we stop growing, we shrink. The art of 'becoming' is a never-ending journey. But every so often, I believe it's healthy to stop, rest and simply celebrate YOU! Every step you are on is worth celebrating, for each leads you higher on the stairway to Heaven.
Jesus said we should love our neighbor as ourselves. Now, how can I love anyone, if I don't even love myself? If I don't love myself, I'm angry inside & hurt so badly it hinders me in reaching out to someone else. When people don't like themselves, they become very good at pointing out the faults of others in order to feel better. How can I love myself unless I come to understand how much I am loved? The unconditional love of God is SO important to experience. So, setting all BAD psychology aside, it's okay to love yourself! Much of my life I felt bad about myself. Satan really didn't have to try very hard to bring me down, because I was always down on myself! How impatient we are- what little faith we exercise in the merits of Christ! Many well-meaning Christians talk about "dying to self", but in their own strength- the only way to do that is by self-loathing & self-condemnation. "There is now therefore NO condemnation for those who are in Christ". To truly die to self is to allow Christ to live in us. Just as night gives way to the sunrise, light & darkness cannot co-exist, so as more Light comes into a heart, the darkness has no choice but to flee. God wants us to savor & enjoy our existence, not constantly beat ourselves up for not being perfect. Christ IS our perfection! You are priceless in the eyes of your Creator, Heaven celebrates you! Open your heart to love yourself and see what a difference it makes!!