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

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