Do you feel unlovable? Are you experiencing low self-esteem or serious self-doubt?
It’s hard to admit to God, yourself, or anyone else that you don’t love yourself sometimes. If you’re feeling unlovable you may want to crawl inside yourself like a turtle. But that’s the last thing God wants from you.
He tells us over and over again in scripture to reach out to Him. He’s there for us unconditionally. He is our maker, our creator, our Father! It’s not always easy to accomplish when you’re low. It takes practice and tenacity.
Instead of activating your isolation mode and turning inward towards yourself, reach inward to the Holy Spirit.
Rachael Alford, Joyfully Thankful
Instead of activating your isolation mode and turning inward towards yourself, reach inward to the Holy Spirit. I’ve spent many years hating myself for a number of reasons. But all of those reasons stem from trauma. I didn’t understand how to spiritually deal with my thoughts or feelings and it was overwhelming.
Over the years as I slowly chipped away at the old me, my old way of thinking and handling emotions, I began to build a deeper connection with God. It began with intentional prayer.
I began thinking about prayer more pragmatically than I had before. Along with my all-day internal (and sometimes external) conversations with God, I decided to set a specific daily prayer ritual for myself.
Create a plan
My mindset was, that if I was meeting with anyone else I would set an agenda, create talking points, jot down a few questions, determine what my desired outcome was, and generally just prepare.
With this new outlook, I created the prayer below. I keep it printed in my prayer journal and refer to it whenever I need to. But to be honest, after years and years of self-loathing I can truly say that God has completely removed those feelings from me.
That’s not to say that I don’t suffer from self-doubt or sometimes be over critical of myself but the feeling of being unlovable (even while married!) has dissipated.
You haven’t landed here by accident. God uses each of us as a vessel for Him. Today, God wants to remind you that He is waiting for you. The meeting is overdue, but He won’t chastise you for being late. This is what He is waiting for. He specifically wants us to choose Him.
After the prayer, I have created a three-page stylized, printable version of the prayer with a separate page for scripture, and prayer planning notes that you can download below.
A Prayer for Self-Love
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I stand boldly before You as a servant of Christ.
I thank you, dear Lord, for engraving me on the palm of Your hand (Isaiah 49:16). Thank You for giving me the right to be called a child of God through Jesus (John 1:12-13).
I know I can rely on the love You have for me. You are love. Whoever lives in love lives in You, and You in them. (1 John 4:16)
I love You and am grateful for You. I am truly ashamed and sorry for my lack of self-love. I forget that I am Yours. You made me. You always love me. I ask that You strengthen my self-love through the Holy Spirit.
I ask that You keep in the forefront of my mind that I am truly worthy of love and lovable because of You. You have qualified me to share in the inheritance of Christ’s holy people in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:12)
I know I can rely on the love You have for me. You are love. Whoever lives in love lives in You, and You in them.
(1 John 4:16)
I know that You will answer my prayer because You are true to Your promises.
You are so rich in mercy, You love me so much that even though I was dead because of my sins, You gave me life when You raised Christ from the dead You raised me from the dead along with Christ and seated me with Him in the heavenly realms because I am united with Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-6)
Hallelujah!
I pray in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; if it is Your will let it be so.
Amen
