Love

 “The most important one [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” ~ Mark 12


I once heard someone say the verse "love your neighbor as yourself", but it brought on an entirely new meaning. How am I supposed to love my neighbor as myself, if I have no respect for myself? I do not mean a self-seeking type of love for self. I mean seeing ourselves the way God sees us and speaking to and treating ourselves with thoughts and actions the way we would treat others and would want to be treated.

How can I experience and give love if I have not found the way to treat myself with love and speak to myself the way our heavenly Father speaks to us? The criticizing words we often speak to ourselves or keeping records of all the times we have messed up, or not forgiving ourselves for wrongdoings... would we speak to another person who is going through a struggle the same way we speak to ourselves?


I truly believe that Jesus gave us the command of utmost importance, "to love your neighbor as yourself", that we are to treat ourselves with the same kind of love that He gives us and for us to give to others.


"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." ~ 1 Corinthians 13

Love is patient. Are we patient with ourselves? Are we patient through failures and disappointments and hopeful? Love does not envy. How often do we compare ourselves to others? It is not easily angered. How often do we become angry and criticizing when we don't match up to what we hoped for? Love keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I really would like to take this definition of love and apply it to the way I treat myself, the way God treats us, and the way He wants us to treat others.

We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and then to apply His love towards us to ourselves, and towards others.

"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17