How to Embrace Yourself the Way You Are: 8 Ways
Do you ever compare yourself to others and feel like you don’t measure up? Maybe you want to learn how to embrace yourself the way you are, but you don’t know where to begin.
You are in the right place today. I invite you to join me in the woods, and we’ll talk about the parts of our lives that make us feel unique as we aim to embrace ourselves as we are.
How to Embrace Yourself Just the Way You Are
The bluebells have returned. Emerging from rocky soil as if breaking into the light took no effort at all, they hang their huddled heads—embarrassed by their brilliance. It seems they’re not unlike most of us: bashful about the precise attributes that make us remarkably unique in this world.
Some part of me wants to tell the bluebells, “Your color is what makes you extraordinary. Embrace yourself. Don’t hide it.”
In the same way, I want to tell the friend who hides her gifts, “The parts of you that make you feel different are your gifts to the world. Don’t hide them.”
C.S. Lewis spoke these words to a group of young adults in 1944:
“Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain.”
If Lewis is right, then how do we conquer the fear of being left out and embrace ourselves just as we are?
How to Embrace Yourself: 8 Ways
Here are eight thoughts about how to embrace yourself the way God made you:
1. Remember that your uniqueness is your gift to the world.
God creates no two vessels exactly the same way. You are the way you are so that you might complete the purpose set before you in this world. No part of you is an accident, from the way you look to the things you love to do.
Your passion for sci-fi novels or bowling might feel a little weird. Don’t hide it from the world. God put this passion in your heart to reach out to others who love the same things.
You don’t need to hide these parts of yourself. Embrace them. They are your gift to the world.
2. Focus on what you can give, not what you can receive.
The writer of Proverbs reminds us: “He who waters will himself be watered” (Proverbs 11:25).
We are called to give ourselves away for the sake of others. We all face the temptation to look inward more than we look outward; however, shifting our focus helps us fulfill God’s purpose.
As we embrace the way God created us, we will be compelled to offer our authentic selves to others, and this is always a gift.
3. Remember that you’re wildly loved just as you are, and nothing can take this love away from you.
You are loved by the God who created you. He loves you with your imperfections, your weaknesses, your idiosyncrasies, and your failures. He loves you when others reject you and misunderstand you.
God loves you so much that he demonstrated his love for you through the ultimate act of sacrifice: the suffering and death of his only Son (see Romans 5:8).
When you don’t feel loved by him, the sacrifice on the cross is still real. It is lasting proof that goes beyond feelings and emotions. Cling to this truth when you need the reminder that he loves you.
You can embrace yourself because the Creator of the world embraces you.
4. Create your own inner circle of kindness and compassion.
Walk into crowded rooms and try to fit in, and you will always be an outsider.
Walk into crowded rooms and look for someone to love, and you will forget all about yourself.
In the process, you will find yourself in the middle of the only inner circle that really matters: The inner circle of those who live to love others.
Let’s look at several more practical ways to embrace yourself. These simple steps require little explanation and will help you rest in your God-given identity.
5. Surround yourself with people who love you for who you are and not what you can do for them.
6. Don’t let the words of critical people define your worth.
7. Take the time to cultivate hobbies that fill you with joy.
8. Refuse to compare yourself to others.
Let’s shift gears and look at what God has to say about how to embrace yourself. I encourage you to speak these words when you doubt yourself or think negative thoughts. Instead of embracing negativity, stand on what God says about you.
How to Embrace Yourself by Claiming Your True Identity
Let’s look at some life-changing Bible verses about embracing our true identities in Christ. When we can stand on these truths, we are less shaken by the criticism of others and the temptation to compare ourselves to others.
1. Psalm 139:13-14
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
God formed you in your mother’s womb. He created you with passion and purposefulness. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
I encourage you to soak in these words and repeat them until you begin to believe them. Hang these verses in a frame on your wall or write them on a note and hang them beside your bathroom mirror.
You will learn how to embrace yourself as you as when you consistently align your heart with what God says about you.
2. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God demonstrated your value once and for all when he allowed his precious Son to die in your place. You are dear to him, so dear that Jesus would have gone to the cross if you were the only person on earth. Soak in this radical love today.
3. Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
You are so dear to God that he has numbered the hairs on your head.
He knows you better than you know yourself, and he cares for you deeply. Lean into this truth when you feel less-than.
4. Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
This verse states that you were created in the image of God. The next time you doubt your worth or experience critical thoughts about your worth, remind yourself that you were made in the image of the Living God.
5. 1 John 3:1
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
God is a good Father. He loves you in the way a good dad loves his children. He believes in you, stands with you, and will never leave you.
Lastly, Remember This:
Above all else, remember this: God made you the way you are for a specific reason, and you need to be just like this to fulfill the purpose God has for your life. Ask him to help you embrace yourself.
God made you the way you are for a specific reason, and you need to be just like this to fulfill the purpose God has for your life. #identityinChrist #purpose #fulfillment #encounteringGod Share on XA Free Devotional Book to Help You Embrace Yourself:
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