(It all began here)
Today's wisdom pick is one of my favorites. It reminds us that wisdom is NOT intellectual intelligence. It's not gathering information and facts. It's not common sense. It's way more.
Prov. 19:8: "To acquire wisdom is to love oneself; people who cherish understanding will prosper."
"Loving myself" is not at all the same as being myopically obsessed with one's self.
"Loving myself" is not natural for adults - we have to learn to do this.
"Loving myself" is essential if one wants to share love in a deep, meaningful, healthy way.
What does this mean?
Eastern religion, pop psychology, and thousands of self-help books all have a definition of how to love myself. Here's a snapshot of what I heard after asking several, random, strangers: Loving yourself is a kind of nirvana of accepting who you are - "It's just me." But in God's Wisdom language the idea is much different.
Loving myself is not excusing myself from responsibilities or the need for healthy change. Have you heard someone say, "I'm always late -that's just who I am". Loving myself doesn't lead to more self-focus (unhappy people think about themselves more than anyone or anything else).
I don't think one just decides to love her/himself. It's not looking in a mirror and simply going - "Ok self, it's time to like who you are."
For me, this is how I see God guiding me on this "self-love journey" (acquiring wisdom):
1) We learn to love ourselves when we realize that love is a real gift (Check this out). So, big Q: How much time do you focus on how much you're loved? Do you let your imagination go there for 10 min. everyday? Who is the person you focus on who loves you? Your pet (not bad)? A parent (sometimes good, sometimes not)? A friend or mate? What about God? If He claims to be nuts about you - then do you believe what He says about you? (Eph. 1:4-5, John 3:16; Ps. 139).
2) Accepting what our Creator-Friend says about us is to go outside the limits of ourself and choose to believe the absolute Wisdom speaker. Now the hard work (life-skill reminder workouts) begins! Romans 12:2 talks about refreshing our monitors and the site we're visiting often (renewing of the mind - Old King Jimmy Language). Doing this 30-day challenge is an exercise opportunity given to me (as a free gift) to grow my belief until my whole body is overwhelmed with what GOD says about me. It's out of this awareness that I'm better able to say yes to His presence in me and not stop it from flowing out.
BIG TIME JOY (the stuff that's way bigger than happiness) comes when you really believe that everything you do brings love and hope to others. Yesterday, on our getaway date, I knew that God was flowing out of me to so bless my sweetheart's life; that awareness is so powerful! I was aware of how through me good stuff flowed to so many new friends I met (strangers I met yesterday). I was allowing God's love to come in and then back out to others. I love it when I'm so "eyes wide open" to God's unbelievable, crazy love. Try it out today. It's yours free. There's no test, not grading on the curve - it's not a "pass" or "fail." What God will say to you will always be bigger than anything ANYONE can ever say to you. Don't settle for the little voices, listen to God right now.
Leviticus 19:18, 34, Matthew 22:38-40, Galatians 5:13-14.
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