Timothy 4:12 – Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

Loving yourself for who you are and forgiving yourself for your faults is essential to your well-being. Following the Lord’s commandments and setting a good example for others shows helps to encourage others to live the same way.

Have you ever seen or met a person that is fully at peace and happy in their lives? They almost have a glow about them that beams from everything they say and do. Have you ever thought to yourself that you wish you could be as happy as that person? It is important to understand that people that are at peace in their life don’t necessarily have perfect lives.

How many times have you heard that a specific “happy” person happened to be fighting an illness or dealing with some other type of hardship in their lives? Nobody ever knew of the person’s hardship because they seemed so peaceful and happy on a daily basis.

This type of person is setting a good example by showing strength and faith that everything will be good with their current situation. Finding out a happy and kind person that exhibits grace through the most difficult times in life often makes you feel encouraged to do the same in your own life.

Loving yourself and respecting yourself while you keep faith in God is essential to setting a good example for others. You will be surprised to learn that your public presence touches others deeply and helps them improve their life.

A good example is a woman that worked in an unpleasant office environment and handled herself with grace through all obstacles that she was confronted with in the office. She never knew her co-workers were observing her actions during her years with the company. One day the company decided to end her employment due to downsizing. On her last day of employment, she briefly walked around her office saying goodbye to her co-workers. Almost all her co-workers told her that they respected her and they had learned to be loving and kind to themselves as well as others around them. Her positive influence had reached her co-workers and helped improve the office environment among employees.

Corinthians 13:4-8 – Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it’s not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.