I Am Loved

This seems like a good place to start my reflective journey, because the fact that I am loved is at the very center of my being.  Although there have been moments in my life when I have felt completely alone and unloved, I realize now that I have always been loved. The love that I continuously receive defines me in a very profound way, and it shapes my entire outlook on life.

The fact that I am loved is the foundation of my self esteem. No matter what I do, whether I succeed or fail, I will be loved because God has given me intrinsic worth. Because God loved me before he even created me, he molded me into a beautiful unique design, and other people love me because they are reacting to the gifts that God has sown into my very being. Even when their love fails, God's love for me is constant. God made me special, and because of that I will be loved, no matter what.

I was loved before I could do anything to earn recognition or appreciation. God has loved me from the moment He first imagined me, and He has loved me every moment of my life, no matter how badly I have behaved. My mother loved me before I was even born, and her love grew and grew when I was a screaming baby who almost never stopped crying. The love I have received is a gift, not an accomplishment. God decided that it was good and right that I should be loved so that I could grow and flourish and become the beautiful creation He made me to be, so He has encouraged others to love me too.

Love is a constant in my life that can carry me through a myriad of doubts and struggles and hardships. If I fail, God and my loved ones will support me as I try again. If I make mistakes, love will encourage others to forgive me. When I feel weak and flawed and insignificant, love will remind me of my intrinsic worth. Because I am loved I can have hope for the future, no matter what happens.