DO YOU HAVE IT TO GIVE???

(c)2015 Kimberly D. Miller

This morning I was perusing through some literature on humanity and I came across a passage by Joyce Meyer, who is one of my all-time favorite ladies.  She said:

"When Jesus talked about the greatest commandment of all, He quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and said we are to love God with all our heart. But He also added the second greatest commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (See Mark 12:31.)

There's something important here that I think people often miss: You cannot give away something you don't have in you. How can someone love another person if they don't love themselves?

“ You cannot give away something you don't have in you. ”

We all need to accept ourselves, embrace our personalities and even our imperfections, knowing that although we are not where we need to be, we are making progress. Jesus died for us because we have weaknesses and imperfections, and we don't have to reject ourselves because of them. God wants us to love ourselves and enjoy how He's made us!"

This quote speaks volumes to me and, while the principle is obvious, the execution is somewhat difficult to achieve for some, including myself.  It is one thing to say you love yourself, but quite another to prove it, which reminds me of the saying, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating (whittled down over the years to, 'the proof is in the pudding')."  In other words, show me, don't tell me.  If you say you love yourself, then show yourself.  Have respect for the choices that are best for you and no one else.  Never settle for less than you want in your life, in fact never settle.  Please yourself first and others second. Every time you make a choice or decision in your life, show yourself that you have your best interest at heart and that you will not bow down to be the version of yourself that others see. 

Abraham Hicks states that, "If you will give more attention to what is flowing through you toward something instead of what is flowing through someone else toward you, things will get better right away."  Now I'm not saying you shouldn't help others or be a kind and courteous soul, but that when you treat yourself this way first and foremost it will shine through you toward others and you will be helping others for the right reasons.  If you help someone for the sake of helping them and expect absolutely nothing in return, not even gratitude, then you are doing it for the right reasons.  If you help others to gain popularity or be liked or have expectations of receiving something in return, then you need to work on yourself.  Loving yourself and putting yourself first means that you will have no more anxiety or depression because you care not about how others view you...their judgments, their games, their opinions of your life will no longer be important to you and therefore you will relax and be settled and centered in your own skin.

Do I have this principle down myself?  Not all the way for sure because l am constantly changing and growing as everyone does, but I have a great start on it. I have never had much self-esteem, but I can honestly say that compared to who I was two years ago, I am definitely out of the starting gate and headed around the corner in this area.  

Life is a long path and if we can figure out the most positive and joyous way to make it to the end of this path, our journey will be blessed with few hills and potholes along the way.

Thank you for taking the time to stop and visit and please, if you like what you've read, leave a comment. If you have a blog or website of your own I would love to visit it. After your comment, make sure to post your link and I will stop by and leave a comment as well. Happy blogging.