Treat Yourself as Your Papa Does!

Sometimes in the past it has been so hard to love myself, and I've been very hard on myself, treating myself badly and condemning myself.  Yet God loves me!  God IS pure Love and nothing else BUT Love!  It is alright to act like God, and God loves me!  That means I can love myself, really love myself!

We can treat ourselves just as our Papa treats us...and how does He treat us?

He always treats us kindly, gently and tenderly!
So we can treat ourselves kindly, gently and tenderly!  We can speak kind and uplifting words to ourselves and tell ourselves the truth, that we are truly good and pure deep down, that we never have evil motives deep down, that we never mean to do wrong or hurt others, that we always mean well, always want the best for others, always love others!

He has only the purest love and affection towards us!
So we can have pure love and affection towards ourselves!  We can celebrate ourselves, delight in our uniqueness, and be happy with our personality, seeing ourselves as the beautiful and amazing people we really are, holding ourselves with high regard as valuable assets in this world, as shining stars that make the world brighter just be being ourselves, as important beings who have something beautiful and special to share with humanity!

He never breaks our heart, never wounds our spirit, never hurts us!
So we can do the same, holding our wounded heart so tenderly, never hurting ourselves with unkind words or accusations!  We can soothe our troubled mind, can speak kindly to ourselves, especially when we are confused, hurting, and maybe lashing out in that confusion and pain, especially then when we feel alone or have moments when we can't see the truth of our belovedness as clearly..treating ourselves with understanding even when we act in erroneous ways, being generous and thoughtful and good to ourselves, giving ourselves room to breathe, slack when we fail, and space to heal!

He is always supportive, understanding, generous, thoughtful, and good to us!
So we can be the same towards ourselves - always supporting ourselves, pampering ourselves and treating ourselves well!   We can call ourselves beautiful, worthy and powerful..worthy of love and respect, strong and powerful as the God-lights we are in this world, shining with His Holy Spirit glow!  We can remind ourselves we are a beautiful Temple housing God Himself, a radiant Bride dearly loved by the King of all the universe!

He always looks at us with love and treats us with compassion!
And we can do the same!  Let's treat ourselves as our Papa does and love ourselves today!  I have found that when I have messed up, when I get confused, when I feel out of sorts, what a great difference it makes to just give myself some space, not be hard on myself but instead kind and understanding, and just speak words of love and kindness to myself.  I guess it is really like I am speaking/hearing the words of my Papa towards me!  And in those moments I see how His words truly are Spirit and truth and life!  It's like the wind shifts, the atmosphere changes, and there is a great something that gives way as the negative thoughts and feelings fall away and I feel okay again, remembering that God loves me, that I am lovable and understood no matter what, and that I truly am God's good and beautiful girl, held tightly by Him in sun and shadow!  Love is so powerful, and to love yourself with His Love is the most powerful thing you can do, I think - it's letting His own Love Presence just flood every nook and cranny of your mind and soul and fill you with pure joy, pushing out every dark thought!  I guess I never realized how powerful and important an act that could be, to love myself!

I am realizing something about what being 'godly' really means:  To be godly does not mean pointing out one's sinfulness, saying that one is evil, or condemning oneself.  No, it means just the opposite, doesn't it!  For to be godly is to be like God, and God does not point out or convict us of sin, God does not call us evil but instead calls all His creation 'very good,' God does not condemn but instead affirms!  God practices love, not hate!  So If I am going to act godly - "God-like" - that means I am going to love myself, not hate on myself, put myself down or accuse myself!  To be godly is to love...to love in the same way as He does, intensely, purely, perfectly..and thus to be godly and act as He does means I love myself  - intensely, purely, perfectly!  HE does, so I can too!  Wow!

It is perfectly alright  - and even the most important and holy thing you can do - to love intensely the one God loves so intensely - YOU!!

From God of Fear to God of Love

For so many years I saw God in a fear-based, religious way..to me He was a "Fear God."  I didn't even realize that this was the type of God that I was taught to believe in, for I always heard "God is Love," and yet so many ideas in religion seemed to say the opposite!  So while I was saying and trying to believe God was Love, deep down there was an uneasiness because I was being presented a Fear God by religion.

So I used to believe in a Fear God!
Not the real God, who is a Love God!

A Fear God uses threat, manipulation, scare tactics and force..
A Love God is gentle, nonthreatening, approachable, never hurts a soul..

A Fear God is strict, unbending, unyielding, harsh, stern, uncaring and cold..
A Love God is warm, compassionate, understanding, kind-hearted, and soft..

A Fear God must have his way or else He flies off the handle and rants and rages..
A Love God wants the other's way and thinks of others first..and can't be angered!

A Fear God threatens harm, punishes, makes you pay, points out your faults..
A Love God never sees anything wrong with you, is never offended, sees only good in you!

A Fear God gives ultimatums, stands off at a distance in disapproval, withdraws help if you do not have enough faith/obedience/commitment..
A Love God gives unconditional promises, is undaunted in loyalty and stands by us no matter what the cost, never disapproves of us, constantly blesses, doesn't need a 'reason' to love us, loves no matter what!

A Fear God is unpredictable, capricious, mean, irritable, always about to blow his temper, always in a bad mood..
A Love God is constant in His kindness, friendly, steady and stable and sure, easy-going, always in a good mood!

A Fear God closes himself off from us, stands aloof, always promotes the idea that he is 'other,' unapproachable, hard to get to, ready to drop, desert or abandon us..
A Love God is always open towards us, open-hearted and open-armed, always embracing and including, always present, easy to be around, easy to find, for He is always right here with and in us, never to leave!

A Fear God always wears a scowl and appears to have a dark cloud over his face at all times, like a storm brewing..
A Love God always wears a smile and has a sunny disposition, like a cloudless summer day where nothing ever goes wrong, where all is well in every way!

A Fear God cannot be counted on and may leave if you mess up..
A Love God is the most secure place in the universe and will never let you down!

A Fear God uses force, demands, and rules..
A Love God has only kindness, acceptance and grace, and sets us free to do anything at all, loving us no matter what, giving us absolutely no rules and no boundaries, demanding nothing from us and expecting nothing of us, freeing us to be ourselves and do anything - even fail - thus proving His love is unconditionally ours!

A Fear God is a fake, false god!
The Love God is the only true God who will always hold you in His arms and smile upon you with delight!

It is so wonderful to know that Fear God that I was so afraid of was never ever real!  It is so wonderful to know that God has been a Love God, a Daddy God, all along!  Thank You, Papa, that You are Perfect Love, and there is NO fear in Love!  Your Love for us drives out the fears we have had, and in its place we find security, joy, peace, comfort, acceptance, REST!