Beauty is skin deep. Sure. It may sound a little cheesy, and you’ve probably heard it a zillion times. You might even be tired of hearing it. But, despite how cliche it might be, this saying is absolutely true.

Valentine’s Day is about love, which is wonderful because God is love. And while February 14th is centered around the love we have for others, we also mustn’t neglect appreciating and loving who God made us to be.

Tomorrow is International Natural Day, also known as International Day of Self-love. Y’all already know that that’s a biggie on my blog. So, of course, I had to discuss it today. Whether you have a partner or not, the days before Valentine’s Day are to help remind us that we don’t need everyone’s validation.

It is a chance for us to realize and believe that we are all precious in God’s eyes. He said that we are the apple of His eye. And don’t be mistaken; God doesn’t look at what we look at. People will look at height and outward appearance. But God looks at our hearts. And as long as our Heavenly Father is pleased with us, both how we live our lives and who we are inside, then that is all the validation that we need.

Valentine’s Day is a day for us all to celebrate both inner and natural beauty. It is also to show those who we love, and who the Lord has placed in our lives to love us just the way we are, that we appreciate them, care for them, and are thankful for them.

And mind you, self-love doesn’t mean that we should be cocky or arrogant. It doesn’t mean that we should be putting ourselves on a pedestal. The first commandment is to love the Lord our God with ALL our soul, with ALL of our mind, and with ALL of our strength. The second is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31 NIV) God ALWAYS comes first.

When I say “self-love” I mean coming to terms with the fact that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image. Living our lives as Jesus Christ sees fit, and respecting ourselves because we know that God loved us enough to give His one and only son to die for our sins.

“Self-love” is knowing that we are worth it because God sees worth in us. If God, the King of kings and Lord of lords loves us so much as to give up His only child, then we must be worth loving. We are worth loving because God loves us.

Have a beautiful day, everyone! Always remember that God IS love! ✨