Do you feel good about yourself? Do you love yourself in the way that Jesus meant in the Second Greatest Commandment: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Mark 12:31)?
Loving yourself means to have a positive self-image, a healthy feeling about who you are in God’s eyes. Feeling good about yourself involves your mood, your attitudes, your feelings, and how honest you are with yourself. Feeling good also encompasses the condition of your faith and the healthiness of your social relationships. It is all about being able to balance your life in all areas: self, family, others, livelihood, environment, and faith life.
Developing and growing a positive self-image must begin on the inside, in one’s heart, with a way of thinking, a way of believing, and a way of acting. This is not easy to do and cannot be accomplished overnight. It is a step-by-step process, with each step being consciously repeated until it becomes a habit.
Author William A. Miller in his book “The Joy of Feeling Good” discusses 12 steps he believes are important in having a positive self-image that can result in our being able to better fulfill the second commandment. These are:
1. Know the Power of Positive Expectation
2. Listen to God’s Word
3. Believe what you hear in the Word
4. Develop your track record and salute it
5. Be your own evaluator
6. Leave old messages behind and move on
7. Examine your negative thoughts
8. Believe that people like people who like themselves
9. Accept positive feedback graciously
10. Cherish your body
11. Give yourself positive affirmations
12. Praise and thank God for who you are
The following ppt presentation outlines the discussion points for each of these twelve areas. They may be given in the form of a teaching, or used as discussion points in your action groups. These slides may also be used for your personal reflection and prayer time to lead you into understanding yourself better and to helping you grow into a more positive person who rejoices in feeling good. The bottom line is becoming a person who lives love, who breathes love, and who shares God’s love with others.
THE JOY OF FEELING GOOD – Positive Self-Image
