“Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought.”  Paul wrote (Romans 12:3).  So, we cannot love ourselves, Paul??  That isn’t what Paul is writing. 

 God saw fit to create an Adam and an Eve.  He loved them both and by extension He loves us and created us.   

But the story of those who feel deep down that they are unworthy and unlovable is a tale as old as time.  So, if we don’t value, love or at least respect ourselves, can we love others? 

How should we feel about ourselves?  Many people find it easier to love others than themselves. 

God wrote that we are to love Him above all else. “Be holy, for I am Holy. “
Self-love is part of that, but it’s not the same thing.  Can I act in all manner of ways and still love myself?

The key to loving myself is not self-love but self-awareness.  Who we are in our deepest reality.  That I am special to God. 

It’s not my fellow’s humanity that I am commanded to love.  It is the divinity in each person that I must recognize, as well as my own, as God created all of us in His image. 

So, then the commandment to love God and my fellow man starts to converge.  That includes that we must love ourselves as well, since we are indeed, God’s creation.

 The first step is to give yourself permission to love yourself and drop the negative association you have about that that means.  Self- love doesn’t mean that you are selfish and self-absorbed, but that you develop a trusting heart that welcomes yourself as worthy of love and respect. 

Since we are hard wired for connection and relationships, self-love is the basis for radiating that love outward to others.  The only way to love others is by connecting to and love the inner spark called the soul. 

We can and must love others.  Not by allowing them to act in way that dishonors God, but by ministering to them. It’s also called discipleship.  Jesus told us, we must become disciple makers.  It’s what we must do and be to honor our commitment as Believers. 

                 It all starts with our own worth.  That we all matter to God. 

                        Love God, Love Yourself, Love Others.