How to Accept Yourself As God Made You

by Olga Hermans

God Knew You Before You Were Born!

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
Ralph Waldo Emerson.

When we don’t know who we are and why we were put here, we can easily become wrapped in someone else’ definition, which can be dangerous to our self-esteem. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded with images of what manhood and womanhood should be according to the standards of society.

It is hard to be free to be yourself when you are not exactly sure who you are. It is even harder if you know who you are but don’t like yourself. You have been given specific physical features, personal traits, talents, and even hobbies that are all unique to your God-given purpose and assignment on this earth.

Being true to who we really are will lead us to our true purpose and our real destiny. When you really want to live with true purpose, you might have to make some adjustments and you might have to embrace some change. Making adjustments can be challenging, and they may take some time, but the results will be truly worth it.

You need to realize how unique and valuable you were made and how to turn all those things you don’t like about yourself into strengths that set you apart from everybody else. The very thing that you always thought was your worst attribute could be the very thing that attracts people to want to know you more and the God you serve.

I heard somebody say once that we should be a trendsetter and not a trend-follower; I totally agree with that, you? You and I ought to be setting the pattern for the world to follow, instead of the other way around. We ought to be fashionable as well. God doesn’t want us looking like a bunch of refugees from the city dumb while the rest of the world is keeping up with fashion. The world ought to be looking to us Christians to set the standard. They should be watching us, how we dress and conduct ourselves.

The world should be taking its cue from us, not vice versa. But that can’t happen without a truthful realization of exactly who you are and what you were created to do. It comes from being the original that you already are and not a copy of someone else and being comfortable with yourself.

The moment you gain confidence in who you are in Christ Jesus, in the love He has for you, and the special uniqueness He has given you, you will be free to be yourself.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

Don’t keep thinking about a pattern what every Christian is “supposed” to be like or act like, it is time to break out and to be yourself. Whatever it is that you believe God has called you to do, whether it is business, politics, or sports or the ministry, whatever it is, God wants you to succeed.

You know, our success will make Him look good. It will make God very attractive. That is what it is all about. It is all about that God gets all the glory for everything that He did in our life. When we live by the principles of God that produce success, people will start to recognize Him and want to get to know Him as well. When we tell people that God is the source of everything that we do and of everything that we have, it is great testimony and it makes God very attractive.

There was a time in my life when I was very concerned about what other thought of me. This fear affected my confidence in myself and my abilities in a very negative way. But then later I discovered my purpose and I had to realize that in order to fulfill God’s plan and purpose for my life, I had to change the way I saw myself. I had to see me as God sees me.

We really have to begin to see ourselves as God sees us. If we view ourselves as incompetent, inferior, or unqualified, we will never get far in life. However, when our worth comes from within, and our image is one of success and victory based on God in us; it will eventually translate to every area of our lives. Nothing can hold us back.

How we see ourselves makes all the difference in whether we are successful in life. Our inner image is very important. We need to understand that many times, the way we see ourselves determines how we are able to handle and overcome situations in our own personal life.

That really requires making a decision to see a better image of yourself to realize that you truly can do all things through Christ, because He has given you the ability to do so. In order to conquer fear, you have to embrace the image God has of you, and become willing to see yourself equipped by God to accomplish all He has created you to do.

Have you ever experienced someone saying something negative to or about you that affected you long after it was spoken? This is because words are containers which go deep into a person’s heart and soul. They have the potential to do great damage, or good, to the listener. For example, if you grew up with a parent who constantly told you how bad you were or that you wouldn’t amount to anything, you most likely internalized those words, and they began to shape your self-image.

I myself, as a mother of two adult-children, I have realized how important it is that I build their self-esteem by speaking positive words and affirmations into them and into their lives instead of negative ones.

Just as the effect of negative words can be tremendous, the results of speaking positive words can have a huge impact on shaping our lives as well. A word is like a seed that we plant. When that word goes into the soil of our heart, it will eventually grow up to produce a harvest. The harvest of a positive self-image is the result of speaking positive words.

We need to ask ourselves constantly: what does God have to say about us? Let me make sure that you realize this; it is always good! He loves us all the time; His thoughts toward us are always above and beyond our own thinking.

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