Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 22:39
“The Golden Rule.” “The Great Commandment.” Many people have heard this simple and powerful commandment from Jesus in various ways. I know I certainly have heard it often growing up in the church. But one often overlooked part of this command is the presumption in the latter half… “as yourself.” This was never emphasized to me as a child. The presumption in this commandment is that in order to love your neighbor well, you must be able to love yourself. How can you love yourself? Is it through hours of mindless entertainment? Is it by surrounding yourself with parties and activities to drown out the voice in your head? Or is it through stillness, solitude, and surrender to God to allow Him to love you in a way that you don’t think you deserve?
