Loving our Neighbors as We Love Ourselves

I’ve been here at my Austin family’s home for over two weeks now. Here’s the bonuses of being here:
1) Breathtaking views of Austin’s Hill Country from their back patio – perfect for a morning of holding hands with God and His creation.
2) Hanging out with the critters.
3) Going make-up free and even coiffed-hairdo free.
4) Being on the elliptical equipment to do my 4.5 mile workout each day.
5) Eating out of their pantry and refrigerators.
6) Wearing jeans and a t-shirt or my work-out clothes.

But, if someone were coming over or I was invited over to someone’s home or taken to dinner (I have been several times), I gussy up, coif my hair, put on a little spray cologne and wear an attractive outfit. After all, I want to dress for success. Actually, I’m loving both sides of this girl – the no frills and the dolling up. I love me – both ways. I love who I have become in the process of loving God with all my heart. It’s taken many seasons to get me to this self-assured season. Remember Jesus’ words to the lawyer: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself!” (Mark 12:31).

But there ARE those times when I allow myself to feel “less than” when I see you younger, flawless, smoother complexions, trim figures, silky hair and wearing shorts that show off your legs especially when, these days, the spider veins in my legs remove all desire for shorts or a swimsuit. There’s all kinds of strange “wisdom bumps” (as my dermatologist calls them) appearing in even stranger places. But, here’s the truth of the matter. We need to stop beating ourselves up for the way we look, be it extra weight around our middle that we call “our spare tire” or whatever our imperfection obsession might be and start loving the body God created especially for us. We are the only make and model of us on planet earth! One-of-a-kind!

While I’ve been here, I’ve taken to the elliptical equipment in the fitness room, doing 4.5 miles daily (76.5 miles for the 17 days I’ve been here). It’s great exercise and good for the body, mind, and soul. AND, the most important, is the quiet, alone time with God and me that builds up the inner me which is the most important, for sure.

We can’t love our neighbors as ourselves if we don’t know how to love ourselves. When we focus on feeling imperfect on the outside, we lose focus of how far God has brought us on the inside. Besides -- I have a feeling our outside isn’t as bad as we think. We have a purpose and we have a calling and we can’t walk in any of it if we can’t see beyond the mirror. We’re all on this journey together and seeing beyond ourselves is a wonderful way to travel.

No matter what we’re struggling with, God is bigger. I need to remember that the next time I get another "wisdom" spot. When we feel defeated by our imperfection obsessions, Jesus is right there to help us overcome those woe-is-me feelings. When the enemy tries to sell us a load of lies, let’s don't buy it! I know that’s easier said than done, but there’s nothing sweeter than trusting God in our human frailties and darkest moments. Let’s look at ourselves the way God sees us and say goodbye to our struggle with imperfection. God sees us through the sacrifice of Christ, and that is more perfect than anything we could ever hope for. We truly can surrender all the pieces of our life to the One Who made us and the One Who gave His life for us.

I Love ME!

Day 22 in this Month of Love -- I LOVE ME!

My post, today, was inspired by this photo on my Weight Watchers Magazine. (Yes, I'm a 30+ year veteran of WW!) The girl is hugging a heart full of red balloons and she's declaring "LOVE, ME!" Before I read the sub heading, I knew what it meant -- loving ourselves enough to take care of ourselves. But, if it weren't on a Weight Watchers magazine, those words "I love me" could just seem quite selfish and egotistical.

How many of us love ourselves? I mean truly, honestly love ourselves? As a teenager, I remember saying "She sure loves herself" and that was meant as a criticism. SHE was one who pranced herself around in a boastful and arrogant way, always making others feel so much less than her. But there's a difference in THAT girl or guy, and the one that Jesus talked about when He said, "Love your neighbor, as you love yourself." Mark 12:31

I hear life coaches say "Look in the mirror and say to yourself....'I love you'! I agree with that philosophy, because, how can we truly love others if we don't love ourselves. But, it’s just not that easy to love ourselves sometimes, especially, as Christians, when we're taught the importance of humility. But, the fact is, only those who feel good about who they are, can really express humility. It takes someone who truly loves him/herself to acknowledge that they don’t have all the answers, that they may be wrong about something, or that they are not the greatest or best at everything. We can love ourself, and come across as loving, sincere, authentic and real, AND be humble. Rick Warren says "Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less.” It doesn't mean we don’t care for ourself, but it does mean we think of others AS MUCH as we think of ourself.

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So, if loving others as much as we love ourselves is so important, I'm recommending that we start expressing how much we love ourselves so that we can elevate the love we have for others. I love getting compliments, but maybe I shouldn't desire that from others as much as I give them to myself. What do I most want to hear? Maybe you and I can start a love fest with ourselves and start by putting up some post it notes on our mirror that helps us out with the compliments: "I love YOU"......."I trust you"......"I am so proud of you"......"You are beautiful"....."I appreciate you"....."You are so strong"......"God loves you"....."You light up my life"......"Wow! You lost weight!"....."I love that color on you!"

Oh, by the way, your hair looks AWESOME!

So let's go ahead and love ourselves. We've been been given permission.

Are YOU Always on Your Mind?

Day 20 of this Month of Love -- Are YOU always on YOUR mind?
Mark 12:31 says "Love your neighbor as you love yourself!" That's a lot to live up to, but that's what God tells us to do. But loving ourselves is one thing, and having ourselves ALWAYS on OUR mind is a whole other story.

I saw Joyce Meyer coax her husband, Dave, to come to the stage so she could sing him a love song. She sang Willie Nelson's song, with two change of words…… "Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I could have, And maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should have. If I made you feel second best, I'm sorry I was blind.  I WAS ALWAYS ON MY MIND.  I WAS ALWAYS ON MY MIND.  And maybe I didn't hold you all those lonely, lonely times. And I guess I never told you I'm so happy that you're mine. Little things I should have said and done, I just never took the time. I WAS ALWAYS ON MY MIND.  I WAS ALWAYS ON MY MIND."

It was hilarious....but point well-taken. Joyce shared that she was so self-absorbed for a very long time. The fact is, when WE'RE always on OUR own mind…selfish and self-centered, people will know it. And, when we are self-sacrificing, and always giving love, people will know it, too. People can always determine our character by looking at the fruit of our life. We're told by St. Paul that we should bear good fruit because that’s what we are going to be known for. Everyone we come into contact with, every single day, and in every situation, will see our fruit. So, how are you known? What kind of fruit do others see in your life? Are YOU always on YOUR mind?  Maybe it's time to have others on our mind -- to encourage, support, lift up and cheer on to their finish line.