Loving yourself is the hardest challenge of all. Sometimes, it’s hard to wake up in the morning, go to your mirror, and appreciate what is being mirrored back to you. When you see your big, crooked nose, or your thick thighs, or your lifeless looking eyes, it can be difficult to love what you see. Do you know what’s harder than trying to do this? Comparing yourself to the magazines of beautiful models and seemingly perfect celebrities. But, in reality, none of that is real. No one is perfect because everyone believes they have a flaw no matter how gorgeous or confident they may seem. Those same models and celebrities always worrying about what people are going to think about what they are wearing, or how they look without makeup at the airport. We all do not appreciate the vessel God has made for us. He worked so hard to create something beautiful, and we judge it every single day wondering how we could change ourselves with plastic surgery in order to reach our dream looks. At the end of the day, what you were born with is what you have. You can have as much plastic surgery as possible, but, underneath it all, still see the same big, crooked nose, thick thighs, and lifeless eyes. This is because you do not love the body your soul was gifted with; you do not let your soul be free to be happy. A bible verse I love is “Love is Patient, Love is Kind” because loving yourself takes patience, kindness, and humbleness. Stop worrying about what the magazines believe, what that boy you like said last week, or even what your mom says about how you look. You have to live with this body for the rest of your life. You have to live with your flaws for the rest of your life. You have to live with yourself for the rest of your life. Are you up for that challenge? “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8