Love your neighbor as yourself (warning: religious content!)

We read the verses over and over..... and know many of them by heart.

But do we REALLY think about them?

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself"

Okay you say... no problem.  I give to the poor.  I volunteer.  I take care of LOTS of people, both in my home and outside of it.

I am sure that most of the people who read this are like me.  OF COURSE, we love our neighbors!  Doesn't that mean that we love and care for all those (okay MOST of those) who come across our paths?

 But how seriously do we LISTEN to the last half of the verse?

The part that says "AS YOURSELF"...

I submit to you that I think most of us 'love our neighbors BETTER than ourselves'. 

Honestly, seriously....  do you treat yourSELF lovingly?  God's greatest gift to you personally... your very own unique SELF..... do you fully appreciate and care for the gift?

Are you your own best friend?  Do you support and encourage yourself?  Or do you beat yourself unmercifully for things you do or do not do?

Do you berate yourself?  Or are you are your own mentor.... recognizing the failings we all have, devising strategies to correct and encouraging yourSELF to do better?

Do you take care of your physical self?  Do you make sure you get proper nutrition and/or exercise?  Or do you let bad behaviors get the better of the situation and treat your body poorly... actually PREVENTING your body from being the magnificent creation God intended it to be?

Do you spend your time bemoaning your inadequacies?  Or do you even know your great qualities? 

 That quirky sense of humor, that green thumb, that sense of knowing when others hurt, whatever.... and encourage and grow those gifts?  Each of your qualities is a gift from God to help you be the best YOU possible.  You are a unique combination of qualities and characteristics specially designed to take a place in this world.

I am not talking about being selfish here... though as you learn to care for yourself, sometimes it FEELS selfish.  But that is more because we have spent so much time putting ourselves DOWN that we don't recognize fairness when it comes to US.  And, if that is the case, how can we be sure that we are truly being fair and caring to OTHERS?

I'd like to say that if you really want to be loving to others, you need to learn how to be loving towards yourself.  You need to appreciate and respect yourSELF.

You are a special being created for right here, right now!  You have a special responsibility to nurture and care for and, yes, LOVE yourself.  Sometimes we are lucky enough to have people in our lives who will look out for and care for us... sometimes we are not. 

But in any case, the bottom line responsibility for the care and feeding of you...... is, well, YOU! 

What will you do today to create the positive nurturing life you need (and God has planned for you)?