And Thy Neighbor As Thyself

I have a good friend who always tells me how good I am, how much I encourage her and how much she loves me. Sometimes when she tells me I look at her like, 'you're kidding right'. I'm nobody. There is nothing special about me. And then I would take the focus off me and put it back on her. Now there is nothing wrong with this on the surface. But there was a problem at the root of it all. I was having a problem with loving myself. I didn't see in me what God saw in me. I thought I was just being selfless, not trying to be too proud. I knew I had a long way to go, so no need to thank me. The one thing that she saw in me that I didn't see in myself was the outpouring of God's love.

It made me think about my life. Why didn't I love myself? Part of the reason was because I had come to rely on what others thought of me. You see while this one particular friend had kind words to say to me, there were several others who did not. I had learned to believe more of the bad than the good. There must be something wrong with me because Mary Jane doesn't like me. Bobby doesn't love me anymore. The one thing I didn't stop to do, while I was allowing all this to build up on the inside of me, was ask God how he saw me.

What does God see when he looks at his children? He sees the same thing that I see when I look at my children - someone he loves unconditionally. He see someone who has faults that he looks beyond to the true need. He sees someone who desires to be better. He sees someone that he loved so much that he sacrificed his only son so that I might have the right to the tree of life. And in the words of Marvin Sapp, 'He saw the best in me'.

The Bible tells us, 'Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. but anyone who does not love does not know God - for God is love. (I John 4:7-8) Read I John 4:7-21. As a child of God you have God living inside you and God is love. It took me a long time to learn that you must have God in order to love. And in order to give God's type of love to others, you must first learn to love yourself. Have you ever heard the expression - you can't truly love somebody else until you love yourself. This is very true. When you are really able to accept and appreciate the love God has for you, that selfless kind of love, then you will be able to give that same love to others around you. It reminds me of verse I learned in Bible school, 'Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul and mind, and thy neighbor as thyself'. You see if I was only seeing my faults and flaws, instead of a work in progress, then that is all I would be able to see in others. I might be able to say that I loved him/her but would I be able to forgive. Would I be able to sacrifice for the betterment of the relationship? These are all questions I encourage you to think about. Take a naked look at yourself (this doesn't mean take off your clothes). It simply means take off the masks and uncover the scars you work so hard to cover-up and take a good look in the mirror and see yourself as God sees you. And after you do this then make a conscious choice to give that same type of love to someone else.

Dear Lord,

I confess that I am broken, scarred, bruised up and tired. Tired of making the same mistakes. Tired of not forgiving myself for those mistakes even though I've confessed them to you and I know that you have already forgiven me. Please help me to see myself thru your eyes. I want to love myself. And Lord help me to show true love, love that only comes from you to ___________. I realize that without a clear understanding and acceptance of your love I could not love ________________ anyway. Thank you Lord for loving me. In Jesus' Name Amen.