Respecting Yourself
HOPE ON THE RISE
(Respect Yourself)
My grandmother taught me four kinds of respect. I can still hear her say, “Bobby you have to respect yourself before you can respect others”. I’m defining respect as behaving with honor and dignity. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”. It’s not a stretch to make a bridge and say respect yourself as you respect others.
We acknowledge our flaws, imperfections and sins but we accept God’s grace given through Jesus.
We know that our reality does not come from the opinions of others but from God’s grace. As God’s children we are “God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do”. ( Ephesians 2:10)
So who told you that you are not valuable? Since you will spend more time with yourself than anyone else take these intentional steps to cultivate self respect and walk into a preferred future.
FIRST, surround yourself with positive influencers. You can’t avoid negative people in life but you can limit your time with them. You know who you hang around with impacts your thinking and decisions.
SECOND, stay active. Studies show activity releases happy chemicals called Endorphins. Ride a bike, swim, walk, play golf or tennis. Whatever floats your boat!
THIRD, be curious. Our lives are full of chapters. Don’t be afraid to turn the next page and open the door to new experiences.
By taking these three steps you can lite the candle of self respect rather than curse the darkness. I’ve been around long enough to know you can make a difference wherever you are.
Think about it. Self respect is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
I’m praying that this series of blogs on four respects will plant spiritual seeds in your life. And that’s Hope on the Rise for now.
