Most often, God answers our prayers through other people. We can also become the answer to someone’s prayer as we pay attention to the individuals around us. We love this painting because it illustrates that our comforting angels may be nearer than we think. Even when we struggle to experience self-love, we can trust in God’s love for us.

Perhaps one of the best ways to show self-love is to do our future selves a favor. Whether that be learning a new skill, investing in a relationship, or developing good habits, there is nothing quite as fulfilling as enjoying the fruits of our efforts. Don’t let your doubts, past experiences, or worries get in the way. What sort of seeds do you want to begin planting?

This next painting carries a similar theme. Jesus is comforting two different individuals and helping them to find forgiveness and peace. The world can be a harsh judge, often leaving little to no room for apologies or personal change. 

Jesus’s perspective is much different. While He will never tolerate actions or behaviors that harm ourselves and others, His entire mission on Earth was to make repentance and second chances possible. He does not see us for the mistakes of our past, but the potential of our future.

Simon Dewey’s art is full of detail and brushwork that appear almost effortless. Much of his art pieces depict stories from the bible, such as these next four pieces of self-love artwork.

This beautiful painting illustrates a profound story in the New Testament. A woman entered a crowded room to approach Jesus, regardless of her reputation for sins and misdeeds. Her action of crying and anointing the Savior’s feet was not popular to those present. However, the Savior understood her completely and taught his audience about her deep love. He acknowledged that she had many sins, but that they were all forgiven.

This woman loved deeply. She loved her Savior and she also must have loved herself enough to approach Him despite her weaknesses and mistakes. In return for her honest efforts, the Savior did not rebuke or embarrass her. He simply admired her good qualities and helped her begin to overcome the negative aspects of her life. 

This Bible story teaches another important principle of self-love. Here, Jesus is accepting what small contribution a young boy was able to make to feed an entire crowd of people.

Our efforts or talents may appear small in our eyes, but we need to give ourselves a chance. As with this little boy, we may be surprised at what God can do with our genuine efforts. We may end up helping more people than we ever thought possible.

Faith in Jesus Christ and His healing power can also be an expression of self-love. It means that we trust Jesus enough to trust the deep amount of value He places in our worth. Reaching out to Him will not always be easy. We may face debilitating challenges, like the woman in the New Testament who spent years coping with an issue of blood. And even when she saw Jesus, she had to push through a bustling crowd of people to reach Him.

Like her, our efforts will be rewarded. We can find healing and peace of mind as we continue to exercise our faith

Here we see Jesus carrying a sheep on His shoulders. The title, For the Love of One, suggests that He went through great effort to find and carry this sheep. One way to remember our worth is to remember how much Jesus Christ has sacrificed and done on our behalf. He suffered all of our pains and sins, not because He was required to. But because He chose to. As He said:

“As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:15)

Jesus does not say His life was taken from Him. He says that He was the one to lay it down because He loved us and knew of our eternal worth as God’s children.

This next image shows Jesus with his hands on the head of an individual as He blesses them. The identity of the person that He is blessing is not readily available, meaning that it could represent each of us. 

Eva’s artistic choice of contrasting the person’s black robe with the Savior’s white is a beautiful symbol. It displays the light He can bring into our darkness, even when we feel completely enveloped in challenges and confusion. The closer we draw to God, the closer He draws to us, and the easier it becomes to recognize our worth.

Here, Eva illustrates a similar theme. We see the woman in the bible who was presented to Jesus by the Pharisees as “taken in adultery” (John 8:3). Her face is curtained off by her hair and she appears surrounded by the darkness of her shame and humiliation. 

In contrast, Christ's half of the picture has a warmer light. His outstretched hand brings that same light toward her. No matter our sin, Jesus Christ wants to help us find healing and hope. As Jeffrey R. Holland taught: “It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s atonement shines.”

It is easy to get caught up in the world’s opinions about us. Between fashion trends, social media, school grades, career positions, and clashing opinions, it can be hard to know who we truly are. 

Another great way to show self-love is to take a moment to be with God. To do just as Jay’s second painting instructs and “Hear Him”. We may be surprised at the beauty, strength, and value that we find when we see ourselves through our Creator’s eyes.

Sometimes acts of self-love can be as simple as stepping away for a moment. We live in a fast-paced, loud world. Stepping back and enjoying nature or meditating can help ground us back in the present moment. It can make it easier for us to see the blessings that surround us and to sort through our current challenges. 

Throughout the New Testament, even Jesus Christ took time to be alone and ponder. We may be able to experience our own “Glorious Moments” by following His example.

We love the way Lightweave captured this moment. We see Jesus observing some of the apostles before calling them to follow Him. It seems to illustrate the way God might observe us. He knows our current circumstances and sees our immense potential. Only the Savior would have seen powerful teachers and leaders in a handful of struggling fishermen. 

Part of self-love is not being afraid of our potential. Sometimes that height can seem more intimidating than the weaknesses we have become accustomed to, but as the apostles themselves showed, the climb brings a stunning view of ourselves and life.