🔥Self Love
There is a commandment that just about every person has knowledge of…
Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Not much of that going on in the world today.
But what about the second part of this commandment?…
As thyself?
This is my take on it…
In order to love others I must first love myself…
I am commanded to do so…
To take care of myself before I can take care of others.
There is a common language spoken in recovery…
I always “beat myself up”.
Is that practicing self-love?
Here is what self-love is to me…
To be the best version of me…body, mind, spirit and soul every day.
That is taking care of myself before I take care of others.
Self-love is NOT…
Being lazy and disconnected.
Accepting your own low or mediocre standard of recovery and living.
Taking others inventory before you take your own.
Looking for fault in others before your own faults.
Running away from discomfort and fear.
Blaming others for your own problems before you hold yourself accountable.
Avoiding the fear of failure by doing nothing.
Holding onto the insane notion that you always have be right and others wrong.
Continuing to neglect your mind by not exercising it with material that holds you accountable to your own BS.
Continuing to neglect your body by not exercising.
Continuing to neglect your own life by not demanding of yourself the daily effort it takes to become the best version of you.
These are all the characteristics of self-abuse…
It is impossible to love thy neighbor when you are not putting in the effort to take care of and love yourself.
When did you last do something to improve yourself like sacrificing your plans to go help someone else? complimenting someone you despise? supporting someone you resent? admitting you were wrong when you desperately have to be right? Took your own inventory when someone upset you instead of taking theirs?
Let that sink in for a while.
The 12 Step program is the ultimate act of practicing self-love as it will demand of you to love thy neighbor through taking all the uncomfortable actions you have spent your life running away from.
The question is…
Are you actually doing it? Or are you just talking about doing it?
God gave us brains to use, a body to move and a life to improve…
You and only you can make that happen.
Share this with someone who may need it.
Paul