Day 3 - I’m in love

Psalm 139:14

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Take the time today to love on your self. Stop every few minutes to tell yourself: “I love me and I thank God for who I am; I am beautifully made.” Every time you pass a mirror say these words. When you take a restroom break, say these words. On your way to work, say these words. Whisper them to yourself while in a meeting or before you answer the phone. Today is all about you! Love on yourself and thank God for who you are…you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are beautiful.

Thank you; Lord for my beauty; inside and out. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 2 - Say Cheese

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Find a favorite picture of yourself. You know the one…where you thought you were looking your best. Your hair was laid; your makeup was flawless; you had the on the perfect outfit and every curve was in the right place. Post that picture somewhere so you can see it everyday for the next 27 days (or more). Make it the screensaver on your phone. Then every time you see the picture, remember that it’s you and you are beautiful.

Father God, a picture is a worth a thousand words…remind us that a thousand times that we are beautifully made. We thank you for making us and for making us beautiful. We give you all the glory for our beauty. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 1 - Love is…

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

How can we expect love from others, if we don’t first love ourselves? God created us in his own image; and God don’t make junk! You were wonderfully made and for the next 28 days I want you to remember that God loves you and you are capable of loving yourself.

Your first challenge is to look in the mirror; if you have a full-length mirror - that will work better, but use whatever mirror you have. Say to yourself: “I am beautiful!” Take a look at all of your features…start with your head/hair (your crowning glory) and gaze upon your gorgeous eyes, nose, lips, cheeks, and ears. Look at your imperfections such as your freckles, moles, pimples, or blemishes…don’t think of these as imperfections, start to think of them as beauty marks. Repeat: “I am beautiful!” Finish your gaze by scanning your whole body from the neck down to your toes. Along the way, think about how wonderfully made you are. Gaze upon your glowing skin tone and if you feel like it add some shimmering moisturizer, baby oil, or lotion and examine how your skin glows. Repeat: “I am beautiful!” Fall in love with yourself…you are wonderfully made…you are beautiful! Don’t let anyone tell you differently. God made you and you are divinely created. You are beautiful!

Dear Lord, remind me of how beautiful I am; that I am wonderfully made and created in your image. Thank you, Lord for your love for me. Help me to have to the same love for myself as you have for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

28 Day Challenge to Love Yourself!

Sisters in Christ,

I encourage you to take the 28 day challenge, starting tomorrow, to love yourself more. Each day, I will give you encouraging challenges to help you along your journey. Each post contains a short paragraph with a small challenge for you to complete that day. I urge you to keep a journal or notes on your progress and emotions during the next 28 days. I have also included a closing prayer for you to repeat that will encourage your strength and motivation. May God bless you abundantly!

I appreciate you for taking the time to complete this challenge. Feel free to leave comments, questions, and concerns.

God Bless,
Zina

Save the Date: 28 Days of Love ~ February 1, 2014

Ladies, get ready to love on yourselves! That's right...starting February 1, 2014 we are going to spend 28 days falling in love with ourselves. Sounds selfish and vain, right? Well actually it's well needed. As mothers, caregivers, wives, girlfriends, aunts, sisters, and friends we spend a lot of time loving everyone else but ourselves. In fact, many of us have never known how to love and appreciate our bodies. So we are going to spend February (the month of love & black history) to love on us! I will post challenges here every day in February to empower our love of self.

Stay tuned and start praying now that God will help you fulfill this 28 day empowerment of love. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom, strength, and encouragement to really look at yourself and love what you see. Also invite another woman to join you. I won't ask you to do anything too hard. I promise. But I will ask for you to embrace your womanhood and love the person you see in the mirror.

Lord, I pray that you give encouragement to all ladies reading this blog and women everywhere. Help us to put away self destruction and self pity. Give us self confidence and self esteem. Help us to see what You see! Help us to appreciate the qualities that You have given us and to love ourselves from the inside out! In Jesus' name, Amen.