As Thyself…
I have a long-standing love/hate affection for sayings posted on church signs. You know the ones - often cheesy and redundant. But sometimes, I find one that’s just perfect for where I am at that moment.
Last week was a really hard week for me at work. I haven’t had a week that hard in a long time. I was also coming off my disappointing showing for my By the 15th one month goal, and I was being pretty hard on myself. As I was leaving work one morning to go to my six-month asthma check-up, I passed a little church that routinely has tacky, pithy little sayings. Last week, the sign only had a portion of a verse.
Love thy neighbor as thyself.
My first reaction, unfortunately, was an eye-rolling ‘ugh.’ But then as I thought about it, I realized that I always look at it as a command from God to love someone else, which it is. And yet, isn’t a part of that command that we also love ourselves? That’s the part that sometimes gets me.
If I think about how I treat other people, I think I do pretty good. I am routinely gentler with the people around me than with myself. In my head, I talk kinda ugly to myself at times. I say things in my head to myself that I would never say to someone else!
Doesn’t it make sense, then, that if I’m to love my neighbor as myself, and I love my neighbor pretty well, then I should love myself equally well? If I loved those around me the way I love myself some days, I wouldn’t be treating them well at all, and that would bother me.
I’ve recently was graced with two really sweet bloggy awards by two sweet girls.They love me as their bloggy neighbor. Kim at And She Lived gave me the I Love Your Blog award. And Lizzie over at A Dusty Frame shared a little Portuguese award that celebrates
blogs that encourage community and that make us all feel a little closer together.
So I’m trying to take a new approach to that instruction from God (and the reminder from those sweet girls). I’m going to make that my mantra for the week this week. Love myself as well as those around me.
Filed under Faith | Permalink |Tagged with: church signs • love • neighbor
5 Responses to “As Thyself…”
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I’m glad it was an encouragement to you:)!
Sorry your week was rough:(!
It was a very sweet encouragement. Thank you!
It’s about dang time! Love you Chel. Can’t wait to see you guys in a few weeks.
I think a visit from ya’ll will go a long way toward helping my self-esteem issues of the moment.
I thought I was the only one that had a love/hate thing for those church signs and there sometimes “corny” sayings. seriously, i love to read those things and sometimes they make me think and sometimes they just make me laugh.
I love the idea of thinking about how you treat yourself in this way. I think many of us treat ourselves worse than we would our neighbors. Keep on remembering to treat yourself well!
I’m working on it!
Great way to think of that sign!
I love that mantra. Go with it. We love you and miss you every minute of the day. Wish I was there to talk in the street about your bad week and end with a hug.
I always wish we could meet in the street to chat at night.