This is a post my oldest daughter (who is 15) wrote. I thought it is a great reminder and wanted to share it with you! She writes:

Have you ever heard the verse in Matthew 22 that says, “Love your neighbor as yourself”? But, what if you don’t love yourself? How do you love other people when you don’t love yourself? 

Seeing The Real Me

I have two younger siblings, who have beautiful red hair, but I have brown hair. When I was younger, I used to wish I had red hair because I thought that people would notice me. When we were out and about, people would stop us and tell my parents how much they loved my siblings’ red hair. Some would explain that they have a relative who has red hair too. Others would say that they too used to have red hair when they were younger. When this would happen, and it happened a lot, I would feel invisible, like no one noticed me. Also, I used to be pretty quiet and sort of a shadow of my mom, so it was not like I stood out or anything either. 

As I got older, God showed me that my hair is beautiful too. He showed me that I have features that are just as beautiful as my siblings’ red hair. God showed me that I have big, beautiful hazel eyes that seem to change color with what I wear. God showed me that my hair has lots of different shades of brown in it. It even has some blonde shades too. Also, I have recently found a couple reddish strands in my hair. So now I love my hair! I think it is amazing! I also do not have to worry about feeling invisible because God gave me lots of height. Currently, I am about 5 feet 8 inches tall. Now that you know my story, let’s look at some people from the Bible whom God told who they really are.

Abraham

Our first example is of Abraham (or Abram as he was formerly called). In Genesis 15, God promised Abraham that He would give him a son, even though Abraham and his wife were very old. Abraham and his wife, Sarah (or Sarai as she was formerly called), seem to have gotten impatient. In Genesis 16, Sarah convinces her husband to lay with her servant girl and have a child that way. Afterwards, the servant girl, Hagar, had a son named Ishmael. 

Later, God appeared to Abraham. God promised Abraham that Sarah would give birth to a son, who would be named Isaac, by the next year. A year later, Sarah had a son whom Abraham named Isaac. Now it seems that Abraham was impatient right? Well, in Hebrews 6:15 (ESV) (emphasis added) it says, “And thus Abraham having patiently waited, obtained his promise.” Yes, you read correctly: it says Abraham patiently waited. Even though Abraham didn’t wait for God’s promise to be fulfilled, God thinks of Abraham as a patient man. 

Moses

Our second example is Moses. Moses was an Israelite raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter. Now, the Israelites were slaves to the Egyptians. In Exodus 2, Moses gets mad at an Egyptian beating up one of his fellow Israelite slaves, and kills him. When the Pharaoh heard of it, he wanted to kill Moses. Most likely scared, Moses fled for his life. In Hebrews 11:27 (ESV) it says, “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king…” That’s right, it says that Moses left Egypt by faith and was not afraid of the Pharaoh. Even though Moses was afraid and ran away, God thinks of Moses as a brave man who walks in faith. 

Gideon

Our third example is of Gideon. In the beginning of Judges 6, you learn that the people from the land of Midian have oppressed the people of Israel. In Judges 6:12 (ESV), it says that an angel of God appears to Gideon and greets him saying “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” A few verses later, Gideon tells the angel that “his clan is the weakest in Manasseh” and “I am the least in my father’s house”. In Judges 7:19-25, you learn that Gideon did in fact defeat the people of Midian. Even though Gideon thought he was not worthy to be chosen, God already thought of Gideon as warrior full of valor. 

What Does The Bible Say About Me

Now, you may be reading this and thinking something along the lines of “well that’s great for them, but how do I know what God says about me?” Well, let’s see what God says in the Bible. 

First, in Psalm 139:13-14 (ESV) it says, “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…” Later, in verses 16 it says, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. 

Second, in Romans 8:38-39 (ESV) it says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

Third, in 1 Thessalonians 1:4 (ESV) (words in brackets mine) it says, “For we know, brothers [and sisters] loved by God, that he has chosen you.” 

Fourth, in Revelation 5:10 (ESV) (words in brackets mine) it says, “[Jesus] made [us] a kingdom of priests”. 

Fifth, in Ephesians 2:19 (ESV) it says: “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” 

Sixth, in Romans 12:5 (ESV) it says, “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

What Does All This Mean

So, what do these verses mean? First, you were purposefully made by God, you are known by God, and you are important to God. Second, you are loved by God with a love that cannot be separated. Third, you are chosen by God to be with Him. Fourth, you are a priest. Fifth, you are a saint and a citizen of heaven. Sixth, you are one with Christ Jesus. 

Now that you know who you are, you can show other people love. For example, since you know you are loved by God, you can love other people; since you know you are important to God, you can show others that they are also important. Since you know you are a priest, you can give other people the respect a priest of God deserves. Since you know you are one with Jesus, you can treat everyone equally. You are chosen by God, so that alone makes you worthy of His love; don’t let anyone ever try to tell you otherwise.