DO YOU KNOW YOU?
For those who may not be aware, I have a weekly radio broadcast entitled The Kimberly Joy Show. I am truly thankful to God that November will mark three years I’ve been on Inspiration 1050 AM and 103.1 FM WGRI in Cincinnati, Ohio!
Every week, since the very first show aired, the radio audience hears my personal declaration: “Know yourself! Be yourself! Love yourself!” It has taken me over 30 years to be able to make that declaration and to make it with confidence. Throughout my life I’ve heard people say, “Love yourself…..Love you…..Be yourself…..Be you!”
The first time I remember being introduced to the notion of loving myself and what that even means was when I heard Whitney Houston sing “The Greatest Love of All”:
“I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children’s laughter remind us how we used to be
I decided long ago
Never to walk in anyone’s shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I’ll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can’t take away my dignity
Because the greatest
Love of all is happening to me
I found the greatest
Love of all inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all”
What a beautiful song! However, I just have one argument. I don’t believe loving myself is the GREATEST love of all. GOD’S LOVE is the greatest love of all! I John 4:8b says:
“GOD IS LOVE.”
If it weren’t for God, we wouldn’t even know how to love, let alone how to love ourselves. Nevertheless, I do appreciate the song expressing the importance of self-love.
HOW DO YOU GET TO KNOW YOU?
When I say, “Know yourself! Be yourself! Love yourself,” I say it in that order intentionally. Speaking from personal experience, before I could be me and love me, I had to know me.
Some might believe that you discover who you are as you live life. I would agree with that to a certain extent. For example, there is a woman (let’s call her Bernice) who is a giver. She loves to give to others in need. Bernice discovered this quality about herself early in life. As a child, she was always giving away her toys to other children who didn’t have much. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, her parents would take her and her siblings to a soup kitchen to feed the homeless. She found joy in giving back. So, now as an adult, Bernice continues to give because she is, indeed, a giver.
Needless to say, there’s more to knowing yourself than just living life. Not all experiences are good, and not everything we are taught or shown is healthy or true. For example, there is a young man by the name of Lloyd. Lloyd didn’t have the best upbringing. He was verbally abused by his father. He was told that he was too dumb to graduate from high school and that he would never be successful in life. So, Lloyd grew up believing the words spoken by his father and turned to hustling to make a living. Now, just because Lloyd’s father spoke those ugly words to him didn’t make them true. None of it was true! Unfortunately, Lloyd believed him, without anyone else to teach him differently.
TO KNOW GOD IS TO KNOW YOU
Knowing yourself begins with knowing GOD, the Creator of the universe, the Creator of all mankind, the Creator of every living being, YOUR Creator! And who knows you better than your Creator? After all, God breathed His breath of life into you (Genesis 2:7)!
To know yourself you must know the only true and living God! He is the God of the capital G, not a god made from man’s hands or a god who was once alive and is now dead. He is the Great and Eternal God (Deuteronomy 33:27).
You must get to know the God who was, is, and will always be (Revelation 1:8)! Nobody compares to God! Nobody can stand up against God! Nobody can conquer God! He is GOD, and, again, He knows you better than anyone! So, if you want to know who you really are, get to know God, and He will open your eyes to the truth!
“You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32, New Living Translation)
THE PRAYER OF SALVATION
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, you can do so right now. I then encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church that will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.
Romans 10:9 (New International Version) says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Please pray the following prayer:
Dear Jesus, I come to You confessing I am a sinner in need of a Savior. I believe You shed Your blood on the cross and died for my sins, were buried and rose again so I could be free! Please forgive me for my sins and the life I have lived. I confess You Jesus as Lord and accept You as my own personal Savior. According to the Word of God, I am now saved! Hallelujah! I AM FREE!
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!!
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Michelle
I definitely find my self struggling to know who I am. I used to think “as I get older I will figure it out”. Honestly, I have only grown wiser in Christ and that has given me insight into myself that no age or experience could ever give me. I’m still ever learning and doubting myself, But God! Thanks for this, right on time.
Kimberly Joy
Hey Michelle! You are so welcome and thank you for your response! I know exactly what you mean! Jesus has definitely opened my eyes to see ME and continues to do so! I’m enjoying this journey of self-discovery! I’ll be sharing more over the next few weeks! GOD BLESS 🙂