“Love your neighbour as yourself.” – Matthew 22:39
“Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.” – Brene Brown
February seems to have flown in with a gust of red balloons and pink hearts. Everywhere you turn, there is something telling you the secret to unconditional love or the best way to share love this season, it’s endless.
We’ve all seen it, the lists of things that make us the best partner, or the ways to make a relationship last. But have we ever taken that advice to apply to ourselves? We know self-care is important, but do we spend as much energy loving ourselves as we do on everything else in our day?
Every time I am reminded this – that we love others as much as we love ourselves – it’s a bit of an awakening.
When we are unloving towards others it often stems from the problems we have with ourselves. Shame, anger, tiredness, perfection, insecurity, anxiety – these get in the way of love.
Lack of love towards ourselves hinders us from forming healthy relationships.
WOW – that hits hard.
Is it really true?
Our lack of self-love can cause self-destructive behaviour, and that self-destructive behaviour can hurt those around us.
This is what Brene Brown is talking about, this is what Jesus is talking about – the love we have for others is a reflection of the love we have for ourselves. It is also a reflection of the love Jesus has for us. His perfect love can remind us that we have the worth to love ourselves, and gives us an example of how to love others.
That’s why February’s missional theme is Love & Self-Care. These two go hand in hand.
In order to love others, we need to have self-love, in order to cultivate self-love, we need to learn to self-care.
What does self-care look like to you?
What can you implement into your life this week that will, in turn, help you to love others well?
Let’s not forget to take care of ourselves so we can continue striving to be “The Hand of God in the Heart of the City.”
Grace & Peace,
Erin
Lord, Thank you for seeing the best in me, when everyone else only sees the worst in me.
Thank you for loving me when I didn’t even love myself.
Help me to love the person you created me to be, not who others want to see.
I am one of a kind, designed to glorify You as only I can!
In Jesus name,
Amen.
(Adapted from here)