In my blog, "How to Quit Cutting for Good", I talked about 3 alternative coping strategies for self-harm: Talk it out, wake up to your actual feelings, and seek God.
Once you decide you're committed to stop cutting, you will find out what a struggle it is to go sober and stay free from this horrible addiction. Even as you are beginning to recover, you still will feel the cravings to cut again. You are going to need to be prepared to know how to deal with those powerful urges. Here are some practical ideas to help you or someone you know be set free.
Every urge you have to cut will go away in time, but only if you don't act on it. Each time you act on your urge to cut, you're making that urge stronger kind of like feeding a monster. Each time you feed the addiction, the more likely you will feel the urge to cut the next time you feel the same emotional pressure. The more you stand against the urge, without giving in, the more your urges will decrease.
One of the best ways to stop cutting is by distracting yourself with someone or something else. This will allow the moment to pass when you're feeling the deep cravings to cut and get your mind off of it. It's impossible for your mind to think about two things at the exact same time. Here are some ideas on how to do this.
Natalia put it this way: I still fight the urges, but the way I deal with it is by writing in my journal or talking to my best friend and boyfriend who are currently helping me through this.
The point is: Find something else to do. If none of these ideas are possible at the moment, try finding a substitute for the cutting sensation.
Angel said rubber bands have helped her. I've learned that snapping them against your wrist takes away a little bit of the amount to want to cut yourself. Ali said the key for her was she needed something physical to feel like she was still alive, that she was OK. So, I mark a little pink heart on my calendar for every day I don't cut...and believe it or not it helps. Help is possible and stopping is realistic.
The biggest problem with a cutting addiction is it forces you to focus on how YOU are feeling. Stop thinking about yourself so much and focus on other cutters who need your help. The more you can reach out to others, encouraging them to find better ways to express their feelings, the better you will be able to resist your own urges. Courtney said: I'm proud to be able to tell people my story of overcoming my self-destructive behavior. Every day is a struggle, but I always choose to find hope in the darkest situations and fight the urge.
You have an incredible life ahead of you, filled with many, many years of potential joy and time with people you love, and who love you as well. Think about what you'd like your life to look like in 5, 10, 15 years, and start taking steps to move forward in that direction.
Abby is 25, and she sees hope in her future: If I don't stop cutting, then a lot of the things I want aren't going to work out the way I dream they will.
Cyndal said: I thought about when I have children, and they see the cuts and scars on my arms, and they ask me, 'Mommy what are those booboos on your arms?' That really made me think, 'WOW, what would I tell my children?' And it made me cry for a really long time"
I want to encourage you to be strong like Amanda. She said: It's a challenge every day, but I am fighting to not cut, because I know that my life can be really awesome, and cutting does not fit into that picture. When you feel your emotions building up, remember you now have alternatives to self-harm. Get self-help by talking to someone who cares.
Be strong. There is tremendous hope for you!
It can be really, stinkin’ hard sometimes, right?
When your situation gets really tough…
You just can’t find happiness anymore…
Everything seems to be going against you…
What keeps you from just giving up when everything feels hopeless?
Have you ever wondered, "How Can I Find Hope?"
Hope keeps you hanging on because it allows you to believe that:
But we would like to suggest that people are losing hope at alarming rates.
TheHopeLine which has been around for over 30 years, has seen trends. While relationship issues with friends, dating, and parents used to be the number one thing people wanted to talk about…now it is self-worth issues, suicide, and depression.
The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that suicide rates have increased after a two-year decline in 2019 and 2020. The number of suicides in 2021 is still lower than the all-time high of 48,344 in 2018, however, national suicide rates are on the rise again. That suggests that hopelessness, depression, and suicidal thoughts could be coming together to cause big mental health challenges.
In my many conversations with teenagers and young adults, I hear variations of these five reasons over and over. I believe these statements capture some of the leading causes of hopelessness:
Let’s consider the prevailing way people view the world in this moment. It’s often referred to as the postmodern worldview.
Perhaps this worldview can best be summarized with, “You do you."
In some ways – I appreciate this saying – it allows people to be accepted for who they are without being judged harshly. “Be yourself.” There’s nothing wrong with that.
But on a deeper level, the message is, “You can believe whatever makes the most sense to you based on your life circumstances. There is no one truth. It’s all relative to your experiences.”
While this may sound good on the surface, the reality is it leaves a lot of people in a state of chaos.
Because what is true anymore and, well, what does work best for you?
When we are unstable without something solid to hold onto, we start to lose our sense of self, our sense of purpose, our sense HOPE.
There are over 4,200 belief systems in the world today.
If any of them can be true…where do you start?
As you search for your own truth, you realize you are completely untethered. There is nothing to anchor yourself to. Especially if what you believe depends upon your circumstances because circumstances change. People in your life change. Everything is constantly moving. So, if you are tying your identity and your belief system to your circumstances (even if that belief system is that you don’t believe in anything), what happens when your circumstances change?
You once again feel lost. Untethered.
So, let me ask you a question that the postmodern worldview would appreciate…
How’s life working for YOU right now? How is what you believe or don’t believe working for you? Is it giving you hope? Do you feel secure? Is it helping you feel loved and cherished?
To match the 5 reasons people are losing hope that I mentioned above, I believe we have hope when:
1. We feel loved and valued.
2. We know who we are without a doubt.
3. Our purpose is clear.
4. We don’t feel abandoned.
5. Our future is bright.
How can we have this security?
Only one thing has consistently provided all of these things for me and that is my Christian faith. I am not talking about religion, but about my relationship with Jesus and my faith in Him.
Now you may decide to stop reading at this point. You may think that I am failing to give you practical advice. To which I say two things:
1. My practical advice for HOPE is to find unconditional love, a secure identity, a purpose, a community and a confident knowledge that your future is secure.
2. The only way I know how to find these things is through my faith. So, I ask you, what kind of person would I be if I have found HOPE and I believe it is the ONE TRUTH that is UNCHANGING, and then I chose NOT to share it with you, would I be showing my genuine care and concern for you? If I kept this to myself when I believe it is the answer, would that be right?
So, I hope you will keep reading because I really do genuinely care. If you are feeling hopeless, what do you have to lose?
I am going to briefly share how my faith has provided the above 5 things for me and how it gives me HOPE. For further detail, I hope you will download our free eBook, Understanding Hope.
My faith gives me the hope that I am loved by God. Always and forever. And so are you.
Even when you mess up. God loves you. And He loves you unconditionally. His love for YOU knows no limits or boundaries. It's limitless.
He created you and wants a relationship with you. The God of the universe thinks about you personally and wants the best for you. ALWAYS.
How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! (Psalm 139:17-18)
And when bad things happen, that is not what He wants. He still loves you.
In this sinful world, people are going to fail you. Even those who are supposed to love you unconditionally, they are going to let you down sometimes. They aren’t perfect. And if every time a person fails you, you in turn start to wonder if you are worthy of love. You will lose hope.
That is why knowing you are loved by God is an anchor of hope! You are loved no matter what!
Do you find yourself tying your identity and your worth to:
What you achieve · What you look like · Who approves of you · Mistakes of your past
As a Christian, your worth and your identity are no longer defined by what the world says about you but rather by who God says you are.
In the Bible He says you are: Chosen ·Accepted ·Treasured ·Beautiful ·Protected ·Able ·Complete ·Known· Overcomer ·Masterpiece ·Rescued ·Held
Once you believe in the God of the Bible, these promises are yours to claim.
There is such hope in knowing that nothing can change who God says you are. Your identity is secure.
The whole idea that life is a vapid hole without meaning goes away when you are a Christian.
God designed you uniquely and created you in His image. He wouldn’t waste his time if you had no reason for existing.
God created you because he wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to love you, and in return, be loved by you. He is a personal God. We are here to praise Him for how great He is! To live lives that honor and glorify our Holy creator.
One way we honor and glorify God is to love others and that is our other purpose. In the Bible, God tells us that the most important things for us to do are to love God with all our hearts and love the people around us just as much as we love ourselves.
Your purpose then is to: Love God … Love yourself … Love others
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matt 22:36-39)
God promises to NEVER abandon his children.
God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So, we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5&6)
When you take the leap of faith to believe, there will be times when God feels super close and times he feels farther away, but faith allows you to trust that God’s promises are always true. Even when you feel alone, you recognize that is just a feeling. God is still there.
Years of believing in God have proven this truth to me. There have been many times in my life where my circumstances would have made me feel hopeless and alone, but God has always been my anchor to hold onto in the storms. The knowledge that He is unchanging, unmovable, trustworthy and good allow me to have HOPE.
Do you ever feel like you have nothing to look forward to? That the same despair you may be feeling now will always be with you?
By putting your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, your life is made new. You get a fresh start. If you recognize that you have messed up and ask God to forgive you, God will forgive you, no matter what you’ve done. God will pour out mercy, peace, grace, blessings, and love on you. Your future is secure.
And once you have given your life to Christ, you can rest assured that, no matter what you face in this lifetime, you can look forward to eternal life in heaven.
And heaven…well, it’s going to be great! More beauty than we can comprehend. But even better is the pure joy we will have. There will be no more tears, no more pain, and no more death.
It is certainly available to you if you choose it.
You can also visit our Get Help page to talk to someone about this.
Here’s the thing…. Christians still have problems. We still make mistakes. Bad things still happen.
Once sin came into the world, God never promised us life would be easy. However, God promises to overcome all of it, to love us always, and to never leave us.
Read this and see if you relate:
I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness, the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed. I remember it all—oh, how well I remember— the feeling of hitting the bottom.
That’s from the Bible – nothing much has changed in human feelings over thousands of years. Here is what the writer of that passage went on to say.
But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left. God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks. It’s a good thing to quietly hope, quietly hope for help from God. It’s a good thing when you’re young to stick it out through the hard times. (Lamentations 3:19-26 MSG)
God provided hope to people then and still does today!
If you or a friend need support right now, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, for free confidential, 24/7 help. Head here for a list of crisis centers around the world. For additional help, please visit the suicide prevention resource page.
We all get nervous, worried, stressed, and fearful from time to time. For example, when speaking in public, going through a financial hardship, or when having trouble in a difficult relationship.
Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about a looming event or something with an uncertain outcome. Having some anxiety is normal but for others, it becomes so frequent, and forceful, it takes over their lives and affects their ability to function. In this episode, I talk with Iva, Allison, and Matthew, each of them have had high levels of anxiety.
Iva is dealing with an anxiety issue. He has no idea why he’s anxious. He’s taken a deep plunge into anxiety and feels there is no way out. He’ll be in class and for no apparent reason will start sweating, shaking and can’t breathe. Then has to lay down in the nurse’s office until he feels better. He doesn’t understand where the anxiety is coming from.
Iva is not alone, there are many people who have serious anxiety issues, 18% of all Americans suffer from anxiety. Many have no idea why they have such anxious feelings, which alone could make one feel even more turmoil. They usually don’t have much patience and understandably so. The anxiety can be so intense, they want relief and they want it now.
Any person who is struggling with anxiety, needs encouragement and support from others, who will empathize and pray with them as they face their daily battles. And walk with them through their own personal nightmares.
God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” but tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety. The apostle Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
I have high hopes for Iva, in spite of his struggle, he has not given up. His parents love him and support him, even though they don’t know what to do. Knowing they are there for him can be a great help. Truly Iva is tormented. May God show him the way to find the peace that passes all understanding.
Allison has a lot of drama in her life, giving her tons of anxiety. She grew up in a dysfunctional family where her and her father were very close and her mom was jealous of their relationship. Now, her parents are getting divorced and Allison feels it’s her fault.
Allison is way overloaded with emotional trauma. For her to get help, she has to reach out and face the truth. Her anxiety attacks are a secondary issue, as horrendous as they are. They serve as a wake-up call. She must discover the triggers which cause her to spin into these anxiety nightmares.
Allison is coming to realize what some of these triggers are:
She’s carrying too much weight, and she’s crying out for help. There’s only so much medication can do. It can help but it’s not an end-all. She’s going to have to go deeper and deal with her issues, one at a time. As she does that, the load will start to get lighter and she will experience less anxiety.
Matthew has suffered from anxiety attacks and even though at one time he might die. He has no peace about anything. It took away all his energy. Then he discovered where to find strength and rest and he found them in Christ Jesus. He was worried about everything and trying to carry everything on his shoulders. He’s learned to give it all over to God. From time to time, he still gets nervous but it’s been years since his last anxiety attack.
Matthew has found his personal peace with Jesus Christ. With Christ’s love and power, he’s able to help others deal with their anxieties. He still struggles from time to time but nothing like it once was. Jesus explained what Matthew needed to do. He said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29
God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” He tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety
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In This Episode:
Since mankind began, lying has been a tragic part of our lives. So awful is it, so terrible is its consequences, God forbids it in the 10 commandments. He said, do not lie (Leviticus 19:11). And in Proverbs 12:22, God spoke again and said, “Lying lips are abomination to the LORD.” Yet, all of us have told lies and at some time or another lived a lie.
The more we speak truth, the happier we will be. Yet sadly some people are compulsive liars. A compulsive liar is someone who lies out of habit. Lying is their normal and reflexive way of responding to questions. Compulsive liars bend the truth about everything, large and small.
For a compulsive liar, telling the truth is very awkward and uncomfortable while lying feels right. Nonetheless a compulsive liar suffers greatly.
Take Hunter for example, he said, "I can't stop lying…even about stupid things. It breaks my mom's heart that I keep lying to her. I hate that I'm doing this to her, and I hate that I do it. I feel like I am going to earn a reputation as a liar and that's the last thing I want. I hate myself.” Hunter needs a miracle in his life. His lying is destroying him, just as lying is interfering in 3 other people’s lives whom I spoke with. I talked with Lee, Jason, and Ellie, who in one way or another are caught up in the world of lying
Lee has a compulsive lying problem and has been dealing with it for 10 years. She tried to get some help from a counselor but once she admitted her problem, she felt judged and second-guessed.
Lee is uncomfortable and angry. She’s trying to come out of the liar’s closet. She’s letting the world know about her dirty little secret, that she is a compulsive liar.
Lying has become part of Lee’s lifestyle for at least 10 years now. The habit isn’t going to go away just because she wants it to. It takes at least 66 days to change a habit. That’s a long time when you’re an addicted liar. She’s now coming to grips with what it will cost her to get free. It won’t be easy. Lying has become a part of her life. She uses it whenever she wants or needs to. Most of the time she lies just to lie, when telling the truth would be much easier.
One of the major consequences Lee must face is knowing no one believes her anymore. Her friends and family can’t trust her, and they deeply resent her. No one likes to be played or lied to, but the compulsive liar is playing people most of the time.
Lee has dug a big hole. She lives in her own personal hell. Lying has provided a place, where she can be in charge of her own reality. But when caught, unveils her rage about her situation. Lee is like a trapped animal, she’s angry and will blame anybody anywhere, except herself. She refuses to take responsibility for her deep, troubling issues.
My prayers are with Lee, I feel sorry she’s in such a predicament. But with God’s help, she can break out of 10 years of compulsive lying. She has her work cut out for her, it will be painful, but there is still light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s all pray, she will succeed.
Jason moved to try to get away from his troubles, but his lying issue followed him. He has been trying to make a U-turn but no one believes anything he says.
I like Jason but he easily cons himself. He moved away from his hometown, thinking that would help him but he doesn’t get it. The truth is wherever Jason goes, he takes his issues with him. Changing locations won’t cure lying.
Jason is caught up in the old lying trap. He’s living a wild lifestyle but wants to cover it up. He has to tell lies to do that. But then he has to tell lies to cover the lies. He’s exhausted, partying away and continually lying to cover it up. He’s living a lie and his lies are killing him.
Now, it’s time for him to come clean with his brother and sister-in-law. He thought he’d fooled them but they could smell the alcohol. It’s not easy to confess to the people you’ve lied to because you’ve tried to paint them as fools. So, it takes tremendous amount of humility and courage to face up to what you’ve been doing. Liars are smooth talkers but to confess to others means to set aside their smooth-talking tools to speak the truth and that’s not easy.
Jason doesn’t understand just how deep his love of lying goes. He, like most of us, doesn’t understand how evil his heart really is.
The Bible says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9
It’s a common mistake we humans make to think our hearts are a great deal better than they really are. The truth of the matter is, we are a mess. To tell the truth to ourselves, about ourselves is one of the most important things we can do. To lie to ourselves and to others is to act like Satan. Jesus was talking to religious leaders of the day who thought they were righteous because of the good works they did. Jesus set them straight. He told them: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44
Good news for Jason, He is starting to tell the truth about himself and that means he’s on his way to freedom.
Elli’s boyfriend lies to her all the time about anything and everything. She can’t trust him at all and it’s destroying their relationship. She can’t bring herself to break up with him even though she knows it can never work because he always lies to her.
Elli was willing for a long time to buy into her boyfriend’s lies. Why, because he has an awesome personality, is persuasive, and the lies he tells are powerful. She may think they have a great relationship but without trust and respect there isn’t one. A relationship controlled by lies is nothing more than a front. Perhaps if Elli leaves him, it will be a wake-up call and he’ll be forced to examine his own pathetic issues. There is hope for him if he turns away from a life of lying to a life of following Christ.
All of us in some way in another are liars, none of us are perfect. My hope is whether we have told small or big lies, we will hate it for what it is and what it’s done in ours and other people’s lives. And so, we too will turn away from lying and trust in Christ to help us walk in the truth. Remember, the more you speak truth, the happier you will be!
I know for SO, SO many people this is hard.
I’m overwhelmed with the number of messages I receive every week that are full of self-loathing. Here are just a few of the many received JUST. THIS. WEEK.
These messages come from all over the world…there is no country immune to this issue.
I am 13, and I want to kill myself. Nobody cares about me, and I hate myself
I feel so numb all the time.
Am I worth it? does anyone truly love me ?
Life is this huge vapid hole I don’t see why my life is important.
I hate being me. I’m embarrassed that I am me and wish I could be someone else.
There is no easy, one-step answer here. Deep-rooted issues lie beneath such low self-esteem.
But we need to start somewhere, so today I want to talk about place to begin the journey towards learning to love yourself. I want to talk about self-care.
But before you can even begin any steps toward self-care, you need to make a choice right now.
I can list important steps towards self-care and loving yourself, but first you need to decide that you are worth the effort. If you don’t, you will never take these steps.
The fact that you are reading this, tells me that you WANT to believe you’re worth it. So let me give you permission to believe it. YOU. ARE. WORTH. LOVING.
I’ll tell you why you are worth loving in a bit, but first let’s talk about self-care.
Self-care is any activity that we intentionally do in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety. It’s also key to a good relationship with oneself and others. (PsychCentral.com)
A common misconception about self-care is that it is selfish or indulgent. But self-care is not about pampering yourself, going to the spa or on a shopping spree. “While self-care can include pampering yourself, it’s so much bigger. It’s so much more meaningful and important. ‘Self-care is essential to our survival,’ said Jessica Michaelson, Psy.D, a clinical psychologist and certified coach for those who want to find more joy and meaning in their lives.”
Self-care involves realizing and prioritizing what you need to do to take care of you. It is not selfish, because when you feel good about yourself, you will be able to give back to others and live a life of purpose. And when you live a life of purpose, you will no longer feel like life is a meaningless void where you are just taking up space.
Self-care will look different for everyone. Taking care of yourself starts with discovering what fills your tank. What helps you refuel? And then making sure you do that.
For some that may be quiet time, while for others it may be time spent with other people. For some it may be dancing it out to your favorite song, and other people may need to watch an hour of their favorite show. What activity makes you happy?
It’s also important to note that another part of self-care may include activities that aren’t always pleasurable. It may involve making that doctors appointment you’ve been avoiding or confronting pain from your past.
While self-care looks different for everyone, there are some universal steps to help you get started:
1. Identify what activity makes you feel good and do it!
No excuses here. Everybody has something they enjoy doing that makes them feel good. Take a walk, bake a cake, draw/color, roller skate, talk with your grandma. I don’t care what it is. Every week you must do this thing that rejuvenates you.
2. Add it to your schedule
You need to actively plan to set aside time to do this activity and stick to it. You are worth it.
3. Just Start
Maybe the first week you don’t give yourself even an hour for your activity. But do something. If your activity is to walk and you only get a five-minute walk in, feel good about accomplishing that and try for more next week.
4. Take care of yourself physically
5. Give up what drains you
Are there relationships that zap your energy? Give yourself some distance. Are you constantly connected to your phone…checking e-mails, texts, snap chat, social media? Set your device aside for an hour. Are there certain events you hate attending? Stop going.
Your time, energy, and emotional well-being are valuable and should be used with intention. When you establish boundaries, you reinforce healthy self-esteem.
6. Choose who you spend time with
Look for people who are upbeat, positive, and enjoy life. Get rid of toxic relationships. It is also good to have people in your life who have perhaps faced similar struggles as you and can relate. Support groups can be very helpful.
Celebrate Recovery is a partner organization of ours that offers support to anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind. They are a safe place to find community and freedom from the issues that are controlling your life. You can find a group in your community here: Celebrate Recovery Group Finder
7. Stop Overthinking
If you start to over-think, haul out a journal and write your thoughts down. Acknowledge what is on your mind. Now that they are written down and your thoughts are captured, you don’t need to dwell on them anymore.
8. Realize Self-care is non-negotiable.
Have the attitude that self-care is a necessity and don’t give it up. It can be easy to put it off or make up reasons you just can’t, but YOU can!
9. Why is Self-Care So Hard for us to do?
According to Jessica Michaelson, Psy.D, many of us don’t know how to practice self-care because "we weren’t taught to pay attention to our inner states — or to trust them. 'Instead, we are taught what we’re ‘supposed’ to think and feel, and try to ignore feelings that we think we ‘shouldn’t’ feel.'
Consider a newborn who cries when they’re hungry. That is an example of self-care, Michaelson said. 'That is sensing your inner state and taking action to get your needs met.' Because when we ignore our needs, over time, we become sick, unhappy and overwhelmed, she said.
Maybe you’re anxious about a certain situation. But you’re ashamed about your nervous feelings, so you pretend they don’t exist. Maybe you’re really upset about something. But you think you should be happy, so you stuff down your sadness. Maybe you really need 9 hours of sleep. But you believe you should be able to function just fine on 6 hours—so that’s what you try to do. Maybe your entire body is saying no to a commitment. But you don’t want to seem rude or impolite, so you say yes."
If you never make an effort to do something about the fact that you don’t like the way you are feeling or take the time to examine why you are feeling that way and consider what you can do to feel better, your emotions will catch up to you and you will start to feel hopeless.
This reminds me of this famous quote:
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” - Henry Ford
But there is always HOPE.
I told you I would get back to answering the question of why you are worth loving. Here’s what I know.
Unfortunately, in this selfish, sinful world people will never love us perfectly. Even those who truly love us will let us down at some point. Perhaps you have been let down by someone who was supposed to love you. We are all human and will make mistakes in our relationships. If we put our hope in people, we will be disappointed.
In the Bible it says: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:21-23
Even when people turn their back on you, God still loves you NO MATTER WHAT. He cares so much for you; he even knows how many hairs you have on your head. He desires to have you know him and to have a relationship with you.
Do you have any idea who you truly are? Are you searching for “the real you”? Get this:
You are created in the image of God. You are not random cells thrown together. God designed you to be like Him. He didn’t make a mistake when He created you. You are amazing just the way you are.
The Bible says, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
How can someone created in the image of God be worthless?
Your identity is no longer tied to:
Your worth is defined by who God says you are:
Want to read more about what God says about you? Bible Verses for Self-Acceptance When You Hate Yourself
In conclusion…
Start with these three things:
