Self Respect By Sabrina Santiago
Self-respect
Our self-esteem can reflect a lot, and usually it roots from our self-respect- the way we treat ourselves birthing the confidence we believe to have. Let’s have girl talk ; )
Many people get ‘self-esteem’ and ‘self-respect’ slightly confused majority of the time. Many assume it is the same concept, and it is to a certain extent, but it is actually very different and it can speak loudly when something is out of place.
Self-esteem is the belief of who you are, and when that belief it is in an unhealthy place or when it is hurting secretly, it can become the most loudest reflection directly and indirectly, and that is where we must understand ourselves naturally and spritiually.
What is the opinion of who you believe to be truthfully?
A part of what you think about yourself or how you believe yourself to be plays a portion of how you respect yourself first.
If you talk down about yourself, you’ll eventually believe the words you claim to be.
If you consistently live as a people pleaser, you’ll eventually live as a pushover.
If you neglect your health by a bad diet, you’ll have health problems.
If you allow yourself to be fed by negative people, you’ll feel and eventually become negative yourself.
The relation here is that what you “put in,” is what “you get.” What you allow is what you’ll be.
Self-resepct starts with what you allow permission into your body and Spirit, reflecting in who you are at the end.
Self-respect specifically is the action of taking care of yourself with love and respect. Usually the root to self-esteem.
When we take care of our self-esteem by knowing who we are in Jesus, the respect we have for ourself will be so much more caring and sacred that we will not allow what is not good for ourselves ‘into’ ourselves. That’s where it starts and that’s where it continues.
Self-respect starts with us. How can we begin to develop true self-respect?
By first understanding who we are by temperament(character) and how sacredly valuable we are in God(spiritual). Once we truly have it within ourselves that we are so significant and special, we will desire to treat ourselves that way and that is where boundaries come in to play-my favorite part! ; )
When the word “boundaries” is spoken, what pops into mind first? Rules? Restrictions?
That’s a part of it if we’re thinking quickly, yes, but boundaries are not sets of rules to give ourself to make ourselves feel restricted or unhappy, but they are limits of what we accept that is “okay” and what we accept that is “not okay” for ourselves.
Boundaries place a protection in our life. Boundaries are set limits of what we decide we will tolerate and what we know we will not tolerate. Examples of placed boundaries could be:
- Keeping your life private
- Reframing from negative people & energy
- Staying single and waiting on God despite a church culture trend
- Responding without having to explain yourself
- Trusting your intuition
- Keeping your circle particular and small
- Saying ‘no’
- Living unapologetically
- Confronting when needed
- Embracing your honest character
- Resting
Fun fact, this list above is my boundary list.
For someone who lived unrealistically for quite some time, God has truly showed me and changed that part in me, but I had to be okay with exercising these boundaries understanding that I wasn’t “being mean” for doing so. It didn’t happen over-night, but it did take a big shift in practing them, and with God’s help, I’m so thankful for this protection in my life!
When we begin to live with boundaries, we begin to experience a stress-free and protected life naturally and spiritually! We must understand that we cannot continue to live an unrealistic and unhealthy life as humans.
It is so damaging and can be so unfilling at the end, but when God is involved in our change, fruitfulness is bestowed, because we are not worried about trying to please others on an unbeneficial measure, but on a kingdom minded matter-what really matters!
We can withhold healthy limits in our lifestyle!
Today I hope to encourage anyone who is wondering whether or not they are stretching themselves out in unrealistic directions.
Study your character and who you can be, and examine what areas in your life you can use walls to protect yourself and live bodly.
I am all about growth, and a part of growing does not happen over night, but a portion of it can, but will we be willing to grow even if setting boundaries and exercising limits feel uncomfortable?
It all starts with us. I choose to respect myself, how about you? ;)
Leave a comment