Study Time: Love Thyself

How are you? I hope you are enjoying my blog so far.

I mentioned in a previous post that I am a youth leader at Living Springs International Church. This means I get to do the fun stuff like trips to the cinema, the Friday night youth club and organising our annual Stepping up Youth Conference (I will share more details about the event later). But the role also comes with the very serious responsibility of teaching the truth about the Word of God and moving the youth to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

One of the things I vowed to do when starting this blog was to cast my lessons as far afield as they would reach, because as any worker in the house of God, I would like what I do to expand beyond the confines of the four walls of the church. So every so often, I will be posting up my lesson plans, and this series will be called Study Time.

Disclaimer 1: As a believer in Jesus Christ, Study Time will be purely devoted to Biblical teachings. My other blog posts will be general motivational material. 

Disclaimer 2: Please remember that the original intended audience of my lessons are children and the youth, so please excuse me if Study Time appears to be too basic or childish for you.

So here comes the first lesson: Love Thyself

Key Bible Verses

1 John 4:8

1 Corinthians 13.13

Mark 12: 31

Genesis 1: 26

1 Timothy 4:12

1 John 2:16

Exercise: Do you love you? OK. In three seconds say three things you love about yourself. Was it difficult to do? read on...

What is love?

Dictionary definition: a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection as for a parent, child or friend.

(www.dictionary.com)

Biblical definition: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude... It is not irritable...

(1 Corinthians 13: 4 and 5, NLT)

What's the point of even studying this? You might ask. Why is love important? To answer your questions, God is love (1 John 4:8), so to know God is to know love; also we are told plainly in black and white that love is the most important virtuous characteristic (1 Corinthians 13.13)

In Mark 12.31, in an address to a scribe* Jesus cited loving your neighbour as yourself as being one of the two most important commandments. We tend to grasp the 'loving thy neighbour' as the compulsory part of the command, and ignore the 'as thyself' part. So as good christians whilst we try to show love to our brother, or sister, or even our teacher we may not like much we do not put so much effort into showing ourselves that love.

How many times have we said “I’m so stupid!”, or “I hate my nose... my mouth...my stomach”, or “if only I had the IPhone 6…” Or how many times do we refuse to forgive ourselves for saying something embarrassing in front of the class? What are the parts of you, you hate the most, or you'd like to change?

I would like to challenge that school of thought and assert that BOTH parts of Jesus' statement is as important and BOTH are commands.  

How much do you adore and revere those in the public eye? Do you know you are just as talented, creative and beautiful as they are? Also, guess what? The best thing about you is that you are all real - not airbrushed!

So now, why attribute love to yourself?

We are created in God’s image

Genesis 1: 26-27 

• The Bible is not saying we physically look like God, because we don’t know what He actually looks like

• But instead, we reflect His glory, and His characteristics of love, patience, forgiveness, kindness and faithfulness

• This should make us feel worthy because God is worthy.

• Criticising ourselves is like criticising what God has so carefully created.

The Bible especially advises young people to do so

1 Timothy 4: 12

• Timothy was a young man in the Bible who was trying to lead a church

• Like us young people here today, Timothy was facing a lot of pressure and challenges from the church. So Paul wrote him a letter to encourage him

• The essence of the scripture is even as a young person, don’t see yourself as unimportant, and don’t let others see you in that way too. Show people yourself through the way you act, the way you speak and the way you live.

     How far should we take this loving ourselves thing?

      By all means love yourself wholly and fully, from the things you choose to put into your body, to the way you allow yourself to be treated by others, to the amount of time you choose to spend with yourself. After all, our God is not a God of halves. He is an all or nothing kinda God!

   

      However this does not mean we should be proud and selfish.1 John 2.16 tells us wanting things to fulfill our selfishness and being too proud, or boastful of the things we have (like our IPhones, tablets, Air Forces etc.) is evil. Moreover these things can quickly become a cover-up for our insecurities. 

Are there times where you have perhaps acted "too big for your boots?"

Write a list of two to three items you would feel "lost" without.

I hope you have learned something from today's Study Time. Please your comments, questions, or even the things you may disagree with below. I am keen to hear from you.  

Please do stay tuned in for more.

But before I leave you, please do me a favour: in three seconds tell me three things you love about yourself.

 *Scribes in ancient Israel were learned men whose business was to study the Law, transcribe it, and write commentaries on it. They were also hired on occasions when the need for a written document arose or when an interpretation of a legal point was needed.http://www.gotquestions.org/scribes-Jesus.html#ixzz3bJ1GaxUe

Closed Doors, New Beginnings

"Do not despise the day of small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..."

Zechariah 4:10 (NLT) 

Here I am again! I am really trying to space out my blog posts a bit, but you know how it is like when you start something new...you just can't leave it alone!

I am really excited about this blog for a number of reasons. Firstly I have loads to say. But most importantly, it is only one part of what I feel is a time in my life where the winds of change are blowing over a few things. I mentioned in my last post some of the positive changes in my life I was making. However outside of me making changes, I feel like change is happening to me, without my permission.

What I haven't yet mentioned is that in the weeks before and after writing my first blog post, my life has taken a few sharp turns (some unexpected). For me, these occurrences (and note not all of them are what one would identify as being 'positive') signalled  a crossroad - i.e a time to make significant decisions. And these are the reasons why:

1. My contract at my current job came to an end
When a season comes to an end, for instance, the end of a job contract (as in my case), or a friendship, you are forced to think "What should I do now?". It's natural to want to find something to fill the void that might have been left by the sun setting on a particular area in your life.

Thank you note on my last day at the office!

2. I went for a job interview and didn't get the job
There is a scripture in the Bible, in Proverbs 13.12 that begins, "hope deferred, makes the heart sick..." So even God knows the feeling of deflation that comes with things not going as planned. If you are anything like me you don't normally have a plan B, so all your energy has probably gone into mapping out your life in one direction only. In the same way, I envisioned life on a certain salary, and in a certain routine etc. And when it didn't happen for me, I momentarily felt the proverbial rug being swept from under my feet,
So if like in my case,  things don't go to plan, you are forced to reroute.

3. It will be my birthday (Yay!)
Like new years or any other milestone, reflection and future planning are part and parcel of celebrating a birthday. This is because it marks a new beginning. After 'turning up', it's usually time when we think "right, what's next?...a year by this time...I aim to be healthier, happier..."etc.

Celebrating me!

4. My wonderful partner treated me to a trip to Las Vegas/ Hollywood (ok, you already know about this one)
There is something about going away that makes one carefree. You spend in one day what you would normally spend in a week, you eat enough food for a whole house of people, and are just generally merrier - which is OK, because we all deserve to take a slice of happiness for ourselves. Besides, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...ssshhhh! Whether your trip is a quiet break, a wild girlie one, or an adventure/exploration holiday, this period of positivity is a nice time to think about some of the maneuvers you might make on the road of life. However, in all the optimism it is important to set realistic goals.

I hope this post has given you some insight into some of my closed doors and new beginnings. I really just want to encourage you to see all occurences as an opportunity to make moves in life. Moving forward is ideal, but sometimes we may just have to move to the side, just a little bit in order to progress. But we must keep moving - and all of that planning will be fulfilled in the end. You remember that scripture I was telling you about? Well, it ends by saying "a longing fulfilled is a tree of life".

I hope you get your tree of life real soon.

Self Improvement.

As I write this post, I am actually sitting in a hotel lobby in Manchester, waiting for a flight to Nevada...and man, what a long wait it is!

The inspiration to write this post is drawn from a conversation I am currently having with my partner (also my travel partner). It is amazing the types of conversation that can be conjured up from a lot of free time.

I brought up the topic of wanting to generally improve myself in all aspects of my life. Before I continue, here is a disclaimer: 

I am by no means perfect, and don't always commit to fulfilling my goals. In fact there are many days where I simply cannot be bothered, but my journey does include lots of trial and error.

With that out of the way, here are some items from my 'self improvement list'.

1. Spiritual Journey -  Recently,  I made up my mind to wake up 10 minutes earlier than my normal time, to spend time with God. In my 10 minutes, I read my devotional (either Our Daily Bread or Word for Today) and its associated Bible Scripture, and end with praying.

2. Positive Mental Attitude -  Around two months ago, I pinned up a sheet of daily affirmations in my flat - one copy in my bedroom (so I can read it out whilst applying my make up in the mornings), and a copy on my fridge. I won't share it in its entirety, but it starts with "I am a daughter of the King...", in the middle somewhere it continues "...everyone who enters this flat will inherit the peace of God...", and ends in  "...Today will be a good day..."

3. Outer Appearance - I have always had a love for clothes, cosmetics, and accessories, but I have decided that I will begin to invest in more quality and less quantity. I also want my look to be a bit more tailored and classic. Lastly, I have recently been watching a lot of makeup tutorials, just to better my application technique.

This is not an exhaustive list, but just a cross section of what I am working on. And I am by no means Wonder Woman, successfully doing these things everyday. Also, there are probably other things, like eating healthier, or doing more charitable giving that could do with fixing up! 

However, I have felt an inner peace and more calm since I did start doing these things. I also generally feel better about myself, and more confident about the day ahead, each morning. (I plan to blog about some of the many 'demons' I used to, and still battle with, so you have a clearer understanding on what I mean). 

I do want to encourage you to work on your 'self improvement list' if you have one, or if you are thinking of embarking on the journey to simply start trying today! I am no expert, but here are some things I did which helped me, and can help you.

1. List your strengths and weaknesses/ or ask a trusted friend to tell you what they are.
2. Acknowledge your strengths and feel good about them.
3. Pray to God, or meditate, (or whatever it is you do), to help you work on you weaknesses (focus on two or three to begin with).
4. Invest in a journal, and write out the ways you intend to implement your areas of improvement (eg if you'd like to make more time for yourself, you could start by setting aside 20 minutes a week to go for a walk alone, or to go to a cafe to read a book).
5. Write down every breakthrough you make, and celebrate your success. For instance, you may want to record the first time you are able to save £20 at the end of the month)

It may seem strange at first, but you will eventually begin to feel good when you begin writing down your results. Also please, please do not beat yourself up when you forget to do something, or are not able to do it for any reason. Just determine to do it better the next time.

What are some of the things in your life you'd like to see grow and blossom? Please share. I am keen to know. 

Hello World.

It has been a long time coming but now I'm here. The desire to start this blog started off as a little seed planted in my thoughts around two years ago. It actually sprung from a conversation I had with a friend who thought it was the right step to take since I wanted a platform from which I could offer stories of positivity, motivation and inspiration with the world, whilst sharing little pieces of myself.

However, instead of nurturing that seed so it blossomed into something wholesome and beautiful, I allowed it to fend for itself like one might do with  a dry and straggly weed until it became a thorn in my flesh, constantly reminding me of what I should be doing but was not not doing. So here I am today. I am finally answering the call to share, to write, to educate and to learn as I sojourn and meander through life.

To introduce myself, I am a twenty something londoner, living with the trials and triumphs, the victories and vicious situations that we all have to live with. I am an educator, a sister, a friend, a daughter, a girlfriend, a woman, but most importantly I'm human.

My calling as a teacher (I am a youth leader at my church) is actually what has propelled me to want to start this platform because I feel I want to share what I teach to around 30 youths every Sunday to as many people as possible. As a christian, I will be speaking from a christian perspective, however I do draw inspiration from a plethora of sources, and hope I will be able to  reach more people than your  average church goer. I will refrain from sounding "preachy". I don't feel I have been called to do that. Besides I am as flawed as they come, and still feel I have a lot to learn.

I do hope as many of you as possible will take this walk with me.