Back To Home Page To Archives - Spring of Life - H. Roger Bothwell On Loving Me I recently listened to an entire sermon telling me that I cannot love others if I do not love myself and that I best get busy falling in love with me. The logic expressed told me I will be able to love you better from the excess. The sermon was most interesting because it was telling me I must get hungry and eat all I can and when I am finished by some miracle I will have enough food left over for you. The cult of self love has captured modern thought and justifies itself within the Christian church by quoting Jesus, "Love others as you love yourself." They would have us believe that Jesus is promoting self love. That is really not the case. Jesus is recognizing a fact that already exists. People already do love themselves. Jesus is not turning us inward He is trying to turn us outward. He is telling us to redirect that love away from self toward others. When we concentrate on loving ourselves we only become more and more miserable. We see all the slights and other things we do not receive that we think we deserve because we are so wonderful. However if we direct our attention on those about us we will not be keeping records of how much we have received. We will be grateful when we get something. We will be happy we have an opportunity to give. It is by giving that we will receive all we need. Telling me to love myself is like telling me to be sure and fall to the earth if I jump out of an airplane. I will fall. It is the natural thing to do. What is unnatural is to give to others what I want and feel I deserve. But Jesus will help me with my focus if I ask. If I do so amazingly at the end of the day I will discover that I have been happy all day. I have been looking outward instead of inward. I'm Roger Bothwell and my address is hrb1@tiac.net or 151 Old Farm Rd. Leominster, MA 01453. Thank you for your support of our faith ministry. Past devotionals can be accessed at Archives