Let me start by saying I am fully aware that Justin Bieber has his own intended meaning behind his hit song. I, however, choose to interpret these particular lyrics a little differently.

In our world today, we are so incredibly hard on ourselves, myself included. We constantly compare ourselves to others and can quickly become consumed by envy and insecurity without even meaning to. We look to the media and to celebrities for ideas about how we should look, dress, act, and think, which creates unhealthy standards that we try, and often fail, to live up to. We base our worth on what society thinks of us, and we are all-too-often afraid to just be ourselves. I'm writing this to remind you that this pattern is absolutely absurd.

You see, God created man in his image, and he made us perfectly imperfect just the way we are. Everyone is different for a reason, and how boring would life be if we were all the same? We have got to stop trying to be "perfect" or "popular" and instead choose to work on bettering ourselves for the sake of our own happiness.

Galatians 1:10 says, "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ." This verse hits the nail on the head when it comes to our society today. If we spent half the amount of time trying to glorify God as we do trying to win the approval of others, perhaps our world would be filled with a little more love and a little less hatred.

Always remember that you are a beautiful, strong, and wonderful individual, so do not ever let anyone make you feel as if you are inferior to them. As the old saying goes, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." The truth is that words can hurt us sometimes, but only if we give them the power to do so. We must choose to rise above them in order to obtain positivity and happiness within ourselves.

Justin Bieber may have been dissing an ex-girlfriend in "Love Yourself," but I think we should instead use his lyrics as a reminder that we are perfect just the way we are. I wholeheartedly encourage you to make the conscious decision today and every day to love yourself just the way God made you.