Closer through Loving Yourself

by Micah Yeager

Mark 12:30-31  //  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

In Mark 12, Jesus tells His audience the Lord’s greatest commandment: “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” Then, He goes on and tells them the second most important commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

In two sentences, Jesus sums up the entirety of the law: to love. We ought to love God and our neighbor. It’s beautiful. It’s simple. It’s poetic. But wait, that’s not all. He said to love our neighbor as ourselves.

It seems like there’s an assumption that we ought to love ourselves. Even more, it’s as if our demonstrated self-love is a determinant of how well we love others.

Seems like a moot point though. Obviously, we all love ourselves. Right? Let me ask you, though. Do you love you? Take time and reflect on that simple question.

Because let’s not jump the proverbial gun. Shame, guilt, and insecurity run rampant in the streets. Anxiety and depression are more popular than Justin Bieber’s skater hairstyle back in the day (which I rocked while I still had hair — RIP).

That’s not to say if you’ve experienced these things, you don’t love yourself. My point is showing love to oneself may be harder for some than others and may be harder in some seasons of life than others.

So, how do we love ourselves?

To be clear, it doesn’t mean walking with arrogance or pride. Jesus didn’t say to be in love with ourselves…that’d be weird. It’s simply being reminded that God has good plans for your life, that you carry an immeasurable hope for the future, and that grace always abounds.

It’s remembering that God has never looked at you and wished you were someone else. He made you with all your special talents, quirks, and idiosyncrasies.

How wonderful it is that we are commanded to love. That the Father allows us to participate in love. First as receivers, then doers. That we can enjoy the love of the Father and return that love by sharing it with ourselves and others.

Here are some practical and reflective ways to love yourself:

1. Receive God’s love every day through acceptance

2. Forgive yourself and let go of the weight of sin through repentance

3. Adopt God’s perspective of you as your own through prayer

As we learn to love ourselves, we grow closer to the whole and authentic person God created us to be, we grow closer to others with authentic and selfless relationships, and most importantly, we grow closer in an authentic unity with our Heavenly Father through Jesus.

So, go on and love yourself.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for gifting us the capacity to love ourselves, others, and, most importantly, you. May we be refreshed every morning with your presence, promises, and protection. Amen.