August reflection – Be loving, love ourselves
By Marina Sylvester
Marina Sylvester serves as a lieutenant in the 1st Somerset West Company (which is the oldest living company on the Africa continent). She is a past president of GB South Africa and is the immediate past Treasurer for Africa Fellowship. She is married to Allan and they were blessed with two daughters, both married. Marina and Allan are grandparents to two beautiful little girls. Marina is a full time teacher at a special school for mentally challenged children in Cape Town, South Africa.
Scripture: Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image after our likeness;
When I say that you need to love yourself ,I’m not referring to the stuck-up, prideful,worldly type of loving oneself (also known as self – worship) ; I’m talking about a concept of being thankful ,and appreciating the person who God has made in you. Loving yourself is based on humility and thankfulness. The two could not be more different. Low self-esteem – always seeing yourself as a failure, or less than those around you.
We are made in LOVE, for Love, by Love, to Love. The more you look inwardly and love yourself, the more you can love others and be at peace and content. We treat others in the same way we treat ourselves. Only the good news of Christ offers true hope. The message of the gospel is a message of freedom from efforts to love our broken selves – a worth that comes from Christ. Throughout the bible, it is assumed that we love ourselves. It is part of human nature, part of what it means to be a human being. Paul says: After all,no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church. (Ephesians 5: 29)
In Mark 10:29-37, Jesus showed us what he meant by telling a story about a Samaritan man who helped an injured Jewish man. Loving your neighbour means being concerned about other people – seeking the best for them, helping them in their time of need.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. When we understand Gods love, then we deeply know he loves us. The more we think of him, the less we think about ourselves. When we are excited and secure in love with God, the more meaning we will find in loving ourselves.
We can rejoice and say, “I am loved.”
Questions for reflection:
- Do you believe God loves you? Why?
- Why should we love our neighbour as ourselves?
- Does God want you to hate yourself or feel bad about yourself? Explain your answer.
PRAYER: Dearest Lord, Thank you for seeing the best in me, when everyone else only see the worse in me. Thank you for loving me when I did not even love myself. Help me to love the person you created me to be, not who others want to see, I am fearfully and wonderfully made, designed to glorify you in the best way I can. Be glorified. Amen
Be loving… love yourself. We are made in Gods image.
