Loving My Neighbors as I Love Me
A couple of weeks ago I took this photo in the women’s restroom at my son’s offices. Employees had put up sticky notes on the mirror to encourage each other. I love the culture that has been created there. There are affirmation meetings where employees give kudos to other employees for stepping up to help on a project or who had presented creative ideas to make their workplace better. This environment causes relationships to excel and each one becomes more self-confident and appreciated. And by the way, those who work there are from various cultures, ethnicities, faiths, and personal persuasions.
I live in a great community where I can be myself – unlike the gal I once was, when I felt the need to gussy up, coif my hair, and put on an attractive outfit just to go to the grocery store. After all, because of my business background – I felt the need to always dress for success – to impress. But in this new season I’m in, I’m loving both sides of this girl – the no frills AND the dolling up girl. I love me – both ways. I love who I have become in the process of loving God with all my heart. And that is sure helping me love others. Those in my community, like my son’s business, are from various cultures, ethnicities, faiths, and personal persuasions.
It’s taken many seasons to get me to this self-assured season. I’m way past the younger gals who are wrinkle-and-age-spots-free, whose trim figures sport their tight little yoga pants or shorts that show off flawless tanned legs. I’ve come to realize that it’s useless to beat ourselves up for the way we look, be it extra weight around our middle that we call “our spare tire” or whatever our imperfection obsession might be and to be able to love this body God created especially for us. We are the only make and model of us on planet earth!
All this talk about loving ourselves comes straight from Jesus. There was no caveat in His words. He commanded: “Love your neighbors as you love yourselves.” (Matthew 22:39) We can’t love our neighbors as ourselves if we don’t know how to love ourselves. When we focus on feeling imperfect on the outside, we lose focus of how far God has brought us on the inside. Besides — I have a feeling our outside isn’t as bad as we think. We have a purpose and a calling to love others. We can’t walk in any of it if we can’t see beyond the mirror. We’re all on this journey together and seeing beyond ourselves is a wonderful way to travel.
When the enemy tries to sell us a load of lies, let’s don’t buy it! You know that annoying neighbor or family member. Yes them! Jesus meant it when He said “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s time to remember how much we are loved in spite of our annoying ways and rough edges. He loves us the way He loves Himself and His Son. Could we love less? There are way too many people out there who need real authentic love – the kind of love that comes from how much we love ourselves. So, if loving others as much as we love ourselves is so important, I’m recommending that we start expressing how much we love ourselves. I love getting compliments, but maybe I shouldn’t desire that from others as much as I give them to myself. What do I most want to hear? Maybe you and I can start a love fest with ourselves and start by putting up some post it notes on our mirror that helps us out with the compliments: “I love YOU”…….”I trust you”……”I am so proud of you”……”You are beautiful”…..”I appreciate you”…..”You are so strong”……”God loves you”…..”You light up my life”……”Wow! You lost weight!”…..”I love that color on you!” So let’s go ahead and love ourselves. We’ve been given permission.
And, guess what…..I really, really LOVE you!