I have to love myself before I can love others

“You have to love yourself before you can love others,” is a popular saying.

We have to love ourselves before we can love others

We have to love ourselves before we can love others

I’ve discovered that is true.  The most difficult person for me to learn to love was myself.

I could forgive others for hurting me and letting me down but I had a very difficult time forgiving myself.

I didn’t have an “a-ha” moment of when this happened, but at some point I realized I had forgiven myself.

This slowly happened as my self-esteem and self-confidence increased.

Through having a better self-perception and forgiving myself, I was able to love myself.

Because I loved myself, I was better able to love others.  Not to love people for selfish gain, but to genuinely love them.

When I decided to love others with God’s Kind of Love, I discovered that it came much easier because I loved myself.  Even when others have hurt and betrayed me, I’ve continued to love them with God’s love.  This means that I’ve prayed for them and the situation, even when I was forced to walk away from the circumstances.

This isn’t because of my strength or power, but because of God’s.

 

Photos Courtesy of MorgueFile

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