Learning to discover our infinite worth through patience and self-care
We know it鈥檚 important to love God and to love our neighbor, but another key component of this scripture is to love 鈥渢hyself.鈥� We sometimes forget this truth, and we might experience feelings of frustration and a lack of self-worth because of it.
Our lives are filled with demands and voices that say, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not good enough,鈥� but loving ourselves can help us recognize the truth. When we are having a hard time seeing our infinite worth, it鈥檚 important to remember our value, take care of our basic needs, and be patient when we make mistakes. When we do so, we can restore our confidence.
Our divine potential
Learning our value is the most important thing we can do to remember our self-worth. We are all children of Heavenly Parents with a divine heritage. By understanding where we came from, we can feel better about ourselves 鈥� especially as we serve our fellow brothers and sisters.
In the October 2017 General Conference, Sister Joy D. Jones said, 鈥淭ruly knowing that you are a [child] of God will affect every aspect of your life and guide you in the service you render each day.鈥�When we seek to fulfill our divine potential, we can grow in our self-confidence because our actions can allow Heavenly Father to show us the good within ourselves.
Meeting our basic needs
Once we understand our value, we understand how important it is to take care of ourselves. Even though it鈥檚 important to serve others, if we aren鈥檛 careful, we can start to run out of physical, emotional, and spiritual resources. When this happens, we can become frustrated because we can鈥檛 do as much as we鈥檇 like to.
On the contrary, when we do take care of our basic needs, we can receive greater confidence in ourselves because we will have more energy to accomplish our daily activities. In order to meet those needs, we can use what鈥檚 called a wellness wheel.If we ever feel overwhelmed or upset, it鈥檚 usually because something in our life is out of balance. A wellness wheel is used to create a satisfying, healthy, and well-balanced life. When we鈥檙e feeling stressed, we can take the time to evaluate how we鈥檙e doing at taking care of ourselves and adjust areas where necessary.
Accepting our best
Part of loving ourselves is being patient and focusing on what we can control. When our schedules get busy, it鈥檚 helpful to pick two or three things on our to-do list at a time. If we are able to accomplish anything beyond that, those extra things we get done can be an added bonus.
Our best will be different each day. Some days we may be able to wake up early to do our homework, complete all our tasks at work, clean the entire house, and still have time to help our neighbor down the street. There will also be days when our best is getting out of bed that morning. No matter what circumstances come our way, we can rely on the Lord to help us accept our best efforts as He accepts ours.
We are enough
Life is filled with demands and voices that tell us we鈥檙e not good enough, but loving ourselves can help us dismiss those lies. We all have infinite worth, and we can recognize the worth within us as we seek to do good in our lives. By taking care of our basic needs, our confidence can grow in our abilities, and no matter what mistakes we make, we can be patient with ourselves.
Though we may each fall short at times, we can cherish who we are and allow Heavenly Father to show us the good within ourselves.
How have you discovered the worth within yourself? Share your thoughts in the comments below!