Love is the key to transformation

This morning as I was preparing for my day, I spent a few moments intentionally blessing myself audibly.  I simply told my body that I loved it and I thanked it for serving me so well for all of these years.  I told individual body parts that I loved them, my arms, legs, ankles, feet, belly, all of me.  It only took about 30 seconds but I can't help but believe that it makes a difference.

After I did this, I had a revelation: if we intentionally bless everything we like AND everything we dislike about ourselves, we lose the desire to curse the things we don't like about ourselves. We live in a culture where its common for girls and women to openly proclaim all that they hate about themselves as though this hate or anger will somehow compel us to change the habits that resulted in realities we don't like.  Unfortunately focusing on what we hate has the opposite affect we want it to.  

Then I realized a beautiful thing.  We're perfectly loveable just the way we are.  Whether we're 70 lbs overweight or don't fit into our favorite jeans or haven't exercised in months, God literally meets us where we are.  He loves us right here, right now.  He doesn't look at what we hate about ourselves because when God looks at us, He sees that what He created is good!  His love for us is the very thing that fuels our desire to love ourselves into wholeness.  Love always wins!!

So I'll continue to tell my body how much I love and appreciate it daily.  I'll continue to choose to love all of me and trust that as I love, those things that I'm not so fond of about myself will lose their influence over how I think about and treat myself.   Love is the key to transforming the physical me to match the transformation that has already occurred in my mind and spirit.  I feel like I've found the missing link that I've been searching for for so long, and it's absolutely liberating!