Surround Yourself With Truth: Affirmations
While I was attending my cousin's graduation, one of the teachers had written affirmation cards for each of her graduating students. She pointed out the strengths of her students and encouraged them. It was one of the most thoughtful things that I have seen a teacher do. There were also sticky notes of, "You are enough" and "You are gorgeous", in the ladies restroom. Those little reminders made me smile. It was so sweet!
Sadly, there wont always be people to encourage you and sometimes the negative words are louder than the kind ones. Telling yourself that you are important and beautiful doesn't always work out either. We are only human. we can't be strong all the tame. But, in our weakness, God is strong. Instead of relying on people to give you your sense of value or trying to be confident in your own strength, let Him remind you of your worth.
The Bible has tons of verses that contain truths about who you are:
You are wonderfully made: "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:14
You are loved: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." Jeremiah 31:3
Nothing will make God stop loving you: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neitherheight nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
You do not need to be afraid: "So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?" Hebrews 13:6
Your value doesn't come from how you look: "The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7
Your past does not define you: "Once again you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet and throw them into the depths of the ocean!" Micah 7:19 and "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
You are a daughter of Christ: "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith," Galatians 3:26
God placed many encouraging reminders about how he sees us, in the Bible. Do a little research to discover more. I like to choose a couple of verses and write them down on note cards to stick around my room. Like this one:
20 Truths About Your Identity in Christ. Surround yourself with truth by decorating your own verse cards and stick them in your backpack, use them as bookmarks, place them on your desk, or tape them to your mirror. Jenny Randle has some printable affirmation verses on her site here:
You can take a picture of your cards and share them on Instagram to encourage your friends. Comment your favorite verses and post a picture of your cards. I would love to see your designs!