Loving Yourself and Where You’re At
In the Old Testament, there were 10 commandments that God had given to the Israelites. All these rules and laws for his people to follow. But Jesus simplifies it down to 2 things for us. In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus commands us with this, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with your all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” First and foremost, we are called to love God who is our Creator and Heavenly Father. And directly after that, he commands us to love our neighbor as OURSELVES. Oftentimes, I think parts of this verse get overlooked. Mainly the part about loving ourselves, right? How are we supposed to love others like ourselves if we don’t even know how to love ourselves in the first place? So, I want to spend some time talking about what it looks like to love yourself the way scripture tells us.
Just as the scriptures say, the way you love your neighbor is a direct reflection of the way you love yourself. Obeying those two commandments are going to be difficult if we don’t see ourselves the way God sees us. God sees you and he sees his beautiful and perfect creation. If you can’t or don’t know how to love yourself, you will not be able to love those around you in the way that you are called to. It starts with loving God, then loving yourself, and the rest will flow from that starting point. So, how do we learn to love ourselves?
First, I want you to ask this question: “Where am I?” I don’t mean physically. I mean emotionally and internally. Are you happy? Confused? Lonely? Hopeful? Hopeless? When you are answering this question, I challenge you to be brutally honest. Don’t answer with where you want to be or where you’re acting like you are. You can’t learn to love yourself if you’re not honest about where you are. Be honest with yourself and with God. Maybe you’re not really sure where you’re at. Maybe you’re asking yourself that question and you’re struggling to find the answer. Be encouraged that God’s Spirit is inside you to help determine where you are. No matter where that place is, he is there with you and he is loving you every step of the way. Jesus literally surrendered his life for you. There is nothing that you can do that will push him away. We must learn to love ourselves where we’re at and every step of the way to where we are going, just as Jesus does.
If I’m being completely honest, my answer to this question is that I feel spread thin and sometimes I feel like I will barely make it to the next day. Sometimes my day is so full that I don’t give the Lord the adequate time and thought that he deserves. That’s where I am. So where do I go from here? To God. Where do you go from your current situation? To God. Every single one of us are on a journey. Maybe your journey right now is bumpy and uncertain, or maybe it’s solid and exciting. Either way, we are all learning, and we are growing in the knowledge and grace of Jesus that is given to us. God knows exactly where you are, and he is with you every single step of the way.
We’re all caught up in something. Maybe it’s bitterness, anger, anxiety, stress, fear, etc. Guess what? Jesus is with us through it all. The people around you might make you think you’re not worthy. Maybe they’re pushing you to hurry and get out of whatever you’re caught up in. Maybe our society says you’re “weak” or it’s “embarrassing” to be in the place you’re at right now. Remember that exactly where you are is exactly where you’re supposed to be. And the good news? Jesus is not in a hurry. He doesn’t have better things to do. He will not bring you to it without bringing you through it. He gets down with us in the messiness of our lives and he doesn’t get up and leave. Jesus LOVES YOU. Let him love you. Let yourself love you. When you learn how to love yourself, you can love others in the way Jesus commands.
Challenges:
Love God first and foremost. Just as Matthew 22:37 says, this is the greatest commandment. Let this be what guides you.
Ask the Lord to reveal to you what he sees in you. Even in the messiest, hardest parts of our lives, we must seek to try and see ourselves through the lens of our Creator. When we can love ourselves well, we can love others well.
Ask for accountability. Yes, be honest with yourself and with God. But also, be honest with your closest community and ask them to check in often to see how you’re doing. Accountability is so important!
Prayer:
Lord, thank you for this beautiful day! Thank you that you meet us exactly where we’re at and you love us through it all. We praise you for you who you are. We praise you that you are the definition of love. Thank you that you created each of us with intentionality and purpose. I pray that we would learn how to love ourselves in the way you have commanded us, so that we can love others in that way also. I pray for blessing and joy over each person reading this. We love you and we praise you. In Jesus’ name! Amen!