Be Kind to Yourself.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

To be different is to understand that the world will not love you. It can’t. Your beauty and complicated intricacies are far beyond the grasp of cursory commentary and futile explanations. Your strength expands far beyond the standards of everyday demands because weakness is something you cannot afford.

There is a price to be paid for experiencing the world through different eyes. Do not let that stop you. Find God and you find the door that leads to a place of peace. With God, you find your freedom. You find that being you is a much better option than being anyone else. You will be able to look in the mirror and smile because you like yourself…and for once, that is enough.

Value Yourself

The world is full of unrealistic expectations. Society capitalizes on the insecurities rooted in comparisons. Don’t own these standards. Don’t make those insecurities yours. Don’t take them on. You don’t have too. You don’t have to be anything other than you. Your complexion. Your hair. Your eyes. Your height. None of them matter as much as your heart.

So guard your soul and be kind to yourself. Protect the good inside of you instead of fighting for the bad around you. When you feel pressured to trade in individuality for community, run towards God. Seek the quiet, still voice that values your internal no matter what others think of your external.

Life can feel unfair

It’s hard to see clearly in the unfairness of this life. Sometimes we feel as though we are treated in a manner less than what we deserve. Other times we feel as though life’s hardships are winning. Maybe they are, but maybe they aren’t. I don’t doubt the emotion you feel right now. I don’t underestimate the hurt or the embarrassment.

I know loneliness. I feel anger. I become consumed with disappointment. I don’t want to accept that I play a leading role in how long emotions stay, even if I feel out of control as to when they show up. Take solace in saying it’s time to let go. Letting go of the emotion doesn’t devalue the situation, but it helps us to value ourselves a little more. To love ourselves means we have to be kind to ourselves. When we think about how well we treat ourselves, do we like the answers?

Protect Your Soul

Too often, we do not guard the company we keep. We seek validation from those who aren’t qualified to give it. We let people in that have no place in our homes. We give them value when all they do is take it from us. We call this love. It’s not. It’s torture to our souls. It’s opening ourselves up to pain, to standards that are never really met, and to rationalizing the lowering of expectations.

Be kind to yourself. Find people that appreciate who you are, and make sure you appreciate who you are. If your drowning, stop waiting for someone else to save your situation. Instead, ask God. He believes in all that you can be even when others don’t.

Knowing God’s Love

I now know that to be different is to accept God’s love above the world’s standards.  Even when we reject Him, He still loves us, just from a distance. His love isn’t one of intervention. It’s one of acceptance. He recognizes the beauty trapped between the layers of the pain and disappointment. Find God and you find every ounce of amazing that runs through your veins. You’ll see your differences as your strengths. You’ll fall in love with the person God would have you to be because that is who you’ve become. And if that isn’t enough for someone else, that’s okay, because finally, it’s enough for you.