The Commandment to Love series: Introduction

 The Commandment to Love series: Introduction

 WELCOME TO THE COMMANDMENT TO LOVE SERIES

My commandment to love series over the next 10-12 weeks focuses on how I can love myself in a practical manner this week.

Jesus' commandment to love reads as follows:

And he answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your  mind; and your neighbour as yourself." [Luke 10:27]

or in Matthew 19:19: Honour your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbour as yourself." 

Forgive me for hopping on my hobby horse for a moment, but it seems to me that 'as yourself' part of the commandment can and does get forgotten or at least does not get enough emphasis on the Church scene in homilies and the like.  Perhaps the Church thinks that the issues of a healthy self-esteem and other related issues can best be handled by professional psychologists and counsellors. There is something positive for this point of view, but it also leaves a huge gap.

Now I will hop off my hobby horse. In this series I will focus on one idea that we can use in whatever it suits to accomplish a more rounded version of ' as yourself'.  I hope you will journey with me in this series.

So, my first intention for feeling good about myself this week is as follows:

 This week I will direct my thoughts to dwell on the positives about me, 

and the good things I have done.

How will make my intention tangible?  There are endless ways just as we are all unique.

However, as a starting point, I will first 

·    spend some time in prayerful reflection on what this commandment ' as yourself' means for me. 

·     Write a list of what I consider to be positive about me- I already have one on the list- I am made in God's image and likeness.

·    Share this list with God in my prayer time reading it aloud- asking Him for input. He knows me best after all.

·   I will choose a few of these and write them where I can see them to remind myself when negative feelings emerge. I will use them as my counter attack to the lies we tell ourselves.

·     I will ask my neighbour to nominate what they see as positive and good in me. (keep you posted on that one).

Why do I want to do this?  I want to make progress with this first intention because: God loves me and made me in His image and likeness.  Sin entered the world and I am part of that both personally and globally. However, I can reclaim our image and likeness with God's help.

We cannot love others fully if we do not love ourselves fully. Let us get in touch again with who you really are and the person God made. After all being made in God's image and likeness is God's gift to us.