Self-hatred, to varying degrees, is not uncommon, but hating oneself is not what God would have for us.

<p>Self-hatred, to varying degrees, is not uncommon, but hating oneself is not what God would have for us. The world would tell us that the solution to self-hatred is self-love. It offers various ways to conjure up this love and acceptance for self. While some are healthy practices, none are permanent solutions that speak to the depths of the needs of our souls. The Bible, on the other hand, tells us that the solution to self-hatred is having an accurate view of God and of oneself in light of who God is.</p> <p>First, let’s understand what causes self-hatred. Some may arrive at self-hatred because they consider themselves losers who lack certain talents or resources (intelligence, personal connections, money, and influence). Anyone who accepts the idealized standards of beauty, success, and power as portrayed in the mass media—and fails to live up to those standards—may arrive at the unreasonable conclusion that he or she is not worthy of love and begin to sink into self-hatred. People may hate themselves because of the things they have done in their pasts, or they might hate themselves because of things with which they are currently struggling, like addiction or unhealthy relationships. In short, self-hatred results from not living up to standards either we or others have set for acceptability. In our recognition that we cannot be perfect, we may descend into self-hatred.</p> <p>Biblically speaking, we know we are sinners who are separated from God (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Ephesians 2:1–5). There is a standard that we will have failed to live up to and will never be able to live up to on our own (Romans 3:20). Apart from God, we are without hope. But this is not cause to hate ourselves. Rather, it is cause to turn to God and to rely on His grace. He has made a way of salvation! God created humanity in His image (Genesis 1:27). He loves us, and we reflect Him. Though sin marred this image, God did not abandon us. Instead, He sent His Son, Jesus, who, though remaining fully God, took on human flesh. Jesus lived a p