It’s OK to love yourself

masterart“Wait a minute!” you might be protesting. “Love myself? That sounds like self-centered, ego-tripping, caught-up-into-my-own-world, look-at-me-everybody, type of thinking. It sounds so conceited. And aren’t we supposed to avoid worship of self?”

Well, if looked at that way, you are right. We are to worship one God, divine Love, and not a mortal personality.

But there’s another way of loving yourself that doesn’t break the First Commandment of “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Ex. 20:3). It’s to love your identity made in the likeness of God.

Unfortunately, there are many people who don’t love themselves—and should. They may hate themselves, be depressed about their body, lack of relationships, accomplishments or success. They may even want to be someone else. They don’t see anything good about themselves at all. And, in spiritual fact, they are very good people. They are wonderful people, filled with merit, value and worth that needs to be acknowledged and noticed.

Each of us has a spiritual individuality that’s at one with God and it’s incredibly beautiful, gifted, deserving, intelligent, and talented.

As a child of God, you are marvelously special. You have a unique and valuable contribution to make to the master plan of life that is worthy of honor, respect and recognition. And a good place to begin that recognition is with your own perspective.

Like an original painting by a master artist, you are an original painting by The Master Artist—your heavenly Father-Mother. There will never be another you or another person like you. God made you to be wonderful, brilliant, and perfect in your own special unique way. You are a good person. You are filled with spiritual capacity and ability to do great works.

All the gifts you have to offer may not be apparent right now, but that’s okay. They will appear as your understanding of who you are as God’s image grows.

Sometimes we feel like a tightly closed rose bud that will eventually open and unfold into a full-blown rose. Until the petals open, though, the complete rose is not evident. With proper development, patience and nature’s course of events, the petals open and the beautiful creation within bursts into full-blown beauty and form.

God made you good. God made you worthy. You are an individual reflection of the infinite individuality and talent of God. What is true about God is true about you as God’s likeness in action.

So, get to know yourself—your spiritual self—made in the divine likeness. Find out how good you really are in God’s eyes, and love that creation. It’s OK to love yourself, your spiritual self. It’s the morally right thing to do.

By Evan Mehlenbacher

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