Tuesday, March 29, 2011

At Least We Got That One Down Pat

A long lost schoolmate, whom I recently found (within the last two weeks actually) on fb posted the following:
Be Yourself ~ Truthfully         Accept Yourself ~ Gracefully          Value Yourself ~ Joyfully          Forgive Yourself ~ Completely          Treat Yourself ~ Generously          Balance Yourself ~ Harmoniously          Bless Yourself ~ Abundantly          Trust Yourself ~ Confidently          Love Yourself ~ Wholeheartedly          Empower Yourself ~ Prayerfully          Give Of Yourself ~ Enthusiastically          Express Yourself ~ Radiantly
 My immediate reaction was, "Wow, that's a tad bit narcissistic!"  But then my wife said something in an unrelated conversation that helped me see that my reaction was way off base.
We were in the midst of a discussion about my last message when she made a statement that to me seemed totally unrelated to the subject at hand (or any other subject we had discussed that day).  She said:
Of all the things we are told to do in the Bible, the one we seem to have down pat is "Love your neighbor as yourself."  The reason everything is so messed up is that people can't love themselves.
I'm supposed to be the brilliant communicator, where does she get off making the profound statements!

3 comments:

  1. Curious as to the narcissistic impression.. I am spiritual being having a human experience... God gave me this body.. my job as a human is to reach for his Grace and share it with others... I should love me and see me as God Loves and Sees ME

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  2. As I said, I stand corrected. Without the Divine perspective, my relationship to myself is skewed, therefore, my relationship to others is skewed. I begin to look to others for validation which is too much of an expectation to place on anyone.
    As I learn to practice the virtues you list in harmony with God's perfect view of me, the result is exactly opposite of the narcissism I originally attributed to the quote. In this world of brokenness and self hatred and in light of all the drama and trauma I encounter, every now and then I lose sight of the fact that there is a divine spark within us. We are indeed made in the image of God and for that reason, we are worthy of His love.
    Thank you.

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  3. wow, beautiful. JIM.. God Speaks thru others...we just have to be willing to listen...:)

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