Day 7: Self Love #LoveYourself

Day 7: Self-Love

The next little series we are going to go into is self love, young people deal with a lot of self-esteem issues. Many times we face these issues in our teen and or preteen years and if not addressed or dealt with, it takes a toll on us as we get older. I am going to start this off with a question,

If I asked you to name everything you love, how long would it take before you got to yourself?

Now, if you are sitting there with you jaw dropped or in shock, as I was when I first read the question, because of the truth to it, then you know exactly where this is about to go.

WE. MUST. LEARN. TO. LOVE. OURSELVES.  Seriously, it is so important to practice self love.

Mark 12:31

The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

This is the second thing Jesus said when asked what the most important commandment of all was. I think we focus so much on the love your neighbor part that we forget that we forget about the part that says "...as yourself". How can we love our neighbors like we love ourselves if we don't love ourselves, or don’t know how to love ourselves. The question that I have struggled with for so long is, can I love others before I love myself. I think the answer is in the scripture. Jesus didn’t command us to love our neighbor as we love our family, or friends, He said to love them like we love ourself. This implies, or plainly states, that we must love ourselves in order to love our neighbor. I think God can teach us how to love ourselves by the way He loves us. God’s love for us is unconditional, He loves us no matter what. We learn how to love from God, we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). If there is anyone who can give us a lesson in love it is God Himself, who is love (1 John 4:8).

Reflection  

1. After reading this I want to end with the same question we started with, If I asked you to name everything you love how long would it take before you got to yourself?
2. Do you love yourself?

Prayer Time

Let your answers to the above questions lead your prayer today, and as you end your prayer ask God to help you see yourself the way HE sees you. Make sure to be honest with Him and remember prayer is just a conversation with God.