I want to start with the wrong religious belief that may be keeping you from being able to love yourself. Religious teaching from the pulpit often demands that we love others as an obligation instead of an outpouring. This teaching goes something like YOU MUST love others more than you love yourself! YOU MUST give sacrificially. YOU MUST love unconditionally. YOU MUST… (here is where you can fill in your YOU MUST statement).
When church teaches us that Love is an obligation it becomes a burden. A burden is something that we must struggle with and carry. A burden is something that we want to put down for a while just to get some rest.
Church-goers, those watching the pews and working the rules in order to get into the club, may have an obligation to love. Christ-followers are not burdened with obligation—no, they are called to tap into the source of Life, of living water, and flow from that source. In this way, our love of others is a result of us receiving His love for us.
This false belief also creates a system in which we are forced to, if we want to be good people, neglect the gift of life that is US (you, me), the great gift of Ourself.
Loving yourself in the way that God loves you is the best way to love your family, your friends, your country, and yes, even your enemies.
So, how can I start loving My Self?
Join us as we explore I Corinthians 13 and how to Agape Your Self.