How can I learn to love myself?
Q: How can I learn to love myself?
A: I remember sitting in my bedroom asking myself this exact question. There was a time when I compared myself regularly to my friends and wished I could be as pretty, funny, or interesting as they were. There wasn’t much I loved about myself; instead, I was constantly thinking of everything I should do better. I wanted to express more love, integrity, and selflessness—among other things. It’s not that I hadn’t tried to, but forcing myself to be a better person wasn’t sustainable. I’d slip up—and then be left feeling frustrated and hopeless.
As a Christian Scientist, I’m used to praying about tough things in my life. And in the past, I’d prayed about so many other issues and had great healings—of illnesses, relationship problems, and even character traits that needed redeeming. But I’d been reluctant to pray about this. It seemed selfish to ask God to show me how I could love myself, and I was more afraid that even if I did ask, I wouldn’t get an answer.
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