Bible Verses That Help Build Self-Love

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After having a conversation with my friend about the turning point that led me to Christ, I have been comparing my life then to my life now. A few years ago, struggle drove me to my walk with Christ. Ever since that moment, I have been filled with an incomparable happiness. As I think about the differences in myself from now to then, one that keeps popping up in my head is the presence of self-love. Before I found my faith, I was insecure. It wasn’t until I realized what it meant to be a child of God that I truly learned how to love myself. However, there are times when I feel myself letting Earthly experiences and ideas distort my self-worth. I know that this is a common struggle especially among young women, which is why I wanted to offer some relief through scripture.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

This verse has been repeated so many times that I feel like it is easy to glance over it without truly appreciating its meaning, so let’s break it up. “For God so loved the world” – that in itself speaks volumes. Just think about the bad and chaos that is present in the world. Imagine having complete knowledge over the darkest parts of something and loving it anyway. God does that for us. He sees the worst parts of ourselves and yet still loves us. Not only does He love us, but, as this verse says, He gave up His only son for us. There must be something pretty special inside of us for God to made this sacrifice. It is important to acknowledge that we are worth being so clearly loved by the One who knows every part of our hearts.

Philippians 4:6-9

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

This verse offers advice about how to stand firm with the Lord, but I think it can also be applied to self. By calling to mind the excellent and praiseworthy qualities about yourself, you are standing firm with the Lord since these gifts come from Him. But, you are also standing firm with yourself by acknowledging the things that you can take pride in.

Roman 12:2

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

If your struggles with self-love are like mine, they come from placing too much value on Earthly ideas of worth. This verse says that not conforming to the world leads to the ability to carry out God’s will. In this case, God’s will is for us to love and not undervalue ourselves. When you feel insecure, renew your mind by acknowledging you are not determined by any worldly expectation.