Go Ahead, Give Yourself Some Love

I’ve been wanting—er, needing—a massage for months now.

Yes, I said need—for my chronic pain, of course. 🙂

Seriously… right now, a visit to my massage therapist Debbie would do wonders for me—physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and even spiritually. But I’ve been depriving myself of it—for a number of reasons:

• I don’t have time.
• I don’t have the money—or I can use the money for something else—or someone else.
• I don’t really need it now—I can make it a little longer.
• I feel guilty.

Can you relate? Maybe it’s not about the massage for you. Maybe it’s:

• Getting pedicures—yes, guys, you can get pedicures too. 😉
• Indulging in chocolate ice cream—or ice cream, in general.
• Snuggling with a book.
• Taking a nature walk all by yourself. For us mothers, it could be just being by ourselves.
• You name it.

What have you been depriving yourself of that would do wonders for you physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, and even spiritually?

And now the bigger question:

Why have you been depriving yourself of it?

I’m not talking about unhealthy habits or addictions. Rather, I’m talking about those things that make us feel loved.

Please hear my  heart, dear one. You don’t have to wait for someone else to love you. Love yourself—Jesus said so!

Love your neighbor as you love yourself. (Matthew 22:39)

 

God’s not talking about a narcissistic, sinful, lustful kind of “love.” He says do good to yourself, look after yourself—your body, your mind, your soul. And this, not only when you feel you’ve earned it, but routinely and unconditionally loving yourself in healthy ways that say…

“I love God, and I love myself.”

That’s a hard thing for codependents: Loving ourselves. We prefer to look after others, sometimes forgetting about ourselves completely. We fear we’re not worth being loved. We deny our feelings—and many times, our needs. We don’t love ourselves.

But God loves you, dear one. And I’m sure you love God. And because you do, He wants you to honor Him by pausing from work, obligations, roles and responsibilities to spend some time on yourself. God gives you permission to love yourself. In fact, He commands you.

So go ahead, give yourself some love.

Hmm… Where’s Debbie’s phone number?

Come alongside… What makes you feel loved? Have you been depriving yourself of it? How do you feel knowing that God gives you permission to love yourself? What steps can you take to love yourself today? Share with us in the comments section below.