J.O.Y.

"Love your neighbor as yourself." -Mark 12:31


There is probably only a handful of people in this whole country that have not heard this Bible verse. Jesus dubbed it the 2nd  greatest commandment (right after love the Lord your God). We all know that it is often hard to love those that are around us, but the other day I found myself wondering, "What if someone hates themselves? Does that give them the foundation to hate others?" I continued to think that surely this was not the case. Yet, there are millions of people that are unsatisfied with the way they look, the jobs they hold, their relationships, and other aspects of their lives. They just hate themselves.


If you are one of these people, I would like to propose a alternative point of view. If you hate yourself, remember that David said in Psalm 139:13-14"For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." You are wonderfully made and God made you just the way you are for a reason. It's hard to hate yourself when the creator of the universe thinks you're to die for, and it's hard to love others if you cannot love yourself first. 

A famous quote from Gandhi reads, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." I find this to be extremely true. How are you supposed to spread the love of God if you cannot feel it for yourself? Once you are able to love yourself through God's love, you can get your priorities in order. These priorities should be as follows: Jesus first, Others next, Yourself last. You will find that you have joy if you do this. I challenge you to feel the love of God so that you can love yourself, so that you can then multiply and spread that love to you neighbors :)