How to Start Loving Yourself: A Faith-Centered Journey to Wholeness
For many awakened women, loving others comes naturally. We give, we serve, we nurture but when it comes to loving ourselves, we often fall short. Somewhere along the way, we were taught that self-love equals selfishness, or that taking care of our emotional and spiritual well-being makes us less godly.
But here’s the truth: God commands us to love others as we love ourselves. That means self-love isn’t selfish it’s biblical. Mark 12:31 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If we are called to love others well, we must first know how to love ourselves well.
The Foundation: See Yourself as God Sees You
You are not what people said about you. You are not your mistakes, your scars, or the things you wish you could undo.
Psalm 139:14 reminds us: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
Loving yourself begins with seeing yourself the way God sees you as His creation, His masterpiece, His beloved daughter.
Step One: Speak Life Over Yourself
Many women live with a constant inner critic. We replay our failures, compare ourselves to others, and tear ourselves down with our own words. But Proverbs 18:21 tells us, “The tongue has the power of life and death.”
Start each day declaring life over yourself:
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“I am chosen.” (1 Peter 2:9)
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“I am loved.” (Romans 8:38-39)
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“I am enough because Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)
The more you align your words with God’s truth, the more your heart will believe it.
Step Two: Set Boundaries Without Guilt
Loving yourself also means protecting your peace. Boundaries don’t make you unkind they make you wise.
Jesus Himself withdrew from crowds to rest and pray (Luke 5:16). He didn’t heal everyone at once, He didn’t attend every request, and He didn’t live for people’s approval. He lived for His Father’s will.
When you set boundaries, you make room for rest, healing, and time with God. You honor your emotional and spiritual well-being without apology.
Step Three: Spend Time With God
You can’t love yourself fully until you understand the depth of God’s love for you. The closer you draw to Him, the more you begin to see yourself through His eyes.
Ephesians 3:18-19 says, “May you have the power to understand… how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”
Spending time in prayer, reading scripture, and worship isn’t just about loving God — it teaches you how deeply you are loved in return.
Final Reflection
Awakened woman, loving yourself doesn’t mean pride, vanity, or selfishness. It means accepting God’s truth about your worth, protecting your heart with wisdom, and treating yourself with the same compassion you freely give to others.
Today, take the first step. Speak life. Set boundaries. Spend time with God. And let His love teach you how to love yourself, wholly and unapologetically.
Declare this today:
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am loved, chosen, and worthy — just as God created me to be.”
