Love yourself. A sweet saying seen time and time again. Seems easy enough right?
For the reader’s benefit I have compiled a simple how-to process.
Step one: simply pay no mind to the parts of oneself that are ‘unlovable.’
Mentally omit shortcomings and/or what is referred to as a checkered past. Do
not acknowledge imperfections. Pushing flaws far enough out of mind should
temporarily eliminate their existence. Note; repetition will be necessary, time
span varies with each individual. Unfavorable features, qualities, and habits
should fail to exist for a decent amount of time. Repeat emotional burial
process as needed.
Step two: after mock elimination of self-irritation it is critical to follow up
with over emphasizing. The parts of oneself that are like-able or at least
somewhat easier to love need to be exaggerated, mainly to the individual
following this tutorial though witnesses may be necessary for optimal
self-fulfillment. Failure to over emphasize may lead to more frequent mental
maintenance. (I.e making good things great things, turning cute into gorgeous,
hilarious instead of funny.) Whether or not the good qualities of the individual
are truthful is irrelevant. In review: In order to properly “love yourself” one
must first disregard all unfavorable parts of their being, which should be
immediately followed by overcompensating and exaggerating positive traits
fabricated or otherwise, in order to build up a facade of confidence and
successfully present a positive self-image to the rest of the world.
This method on achieving self-love is practiced worldwide, including by the
person who wrote it down. It certainly does work, although the solution is not
permanent. This trap of comparison and compensation comes with a disclaimer of
complications much too long to list. It’s not necessarily something people
consciously choose, it’s the curse of humanity. The reality of fulfilling the
bright and shiny clichéd “love yourself” mantra is dark and twisty because
loving the one who looks back at you in the mirror is not a simple something. We
all have issues and burdens and flaws that we believe are unlovable, even if
those around us don’t see it that way. So what’s the solution? Is there a real
answer? Yes, of course, speaking as someone who has done the how-to steps and
many other detours just like it, when it comes to loving yourself, the answer is
you cannot.
You cannot love yourself in your own way, by your own standards or in a way that
is truly satisfying because the type of love we need as people is much greater
than us. What I’ve discovered for myself and would like to share is that it’s
not about you loving you because we can’t love every little fragment even though
that’s what we crave. We can’t get past all the ‘why’s’ or the could’ve,
would’ve, should’ve. So we need someone who can. Someone with a view of the
whole master plan. Someone with a clear vantage point. We need the love of the
One who stitched us together personally, created us in a perfect image and
called it good. We need someone who knows the number of hairs on our heads as
well as He knows how many stars are in the sky. What we need, what we will
always need is nothing more and nothing less than the irrevocable, relentless,
inseparable love of God. We need God’s love because it is not something He
gives, love is what God is. Just as fire is hot, it doesn’t merely give off
heat, heat is what fire is made of. Loving yourself is an inevitable side effect
of loving Christ. There is no lack in God’s love, there is no loss, there is
only inexplicable peace. Who wouldn’t want that? I do, I need it. I need it
because without the love of Christ I’m nothing, or at least nothing I want. Good
thing it’s free. So go to God with all that you feel is not good enough because
love conquers all and love is all we need. As I close, my resolve is this: I
matter to God, that’s all that matters.
Mindless Peace 