Self-focus,
Whether proud
Or disdainful,
Winds up
Being painful.

Self-love
Makes it easier
To believe
Things that deceive.

Self-love is confined and is limited to one solitary individual–you. Neighbor-love is expansive and can reach the whole world. If you get your thoughts, emotions, and desires off of yourself you’ll feel better.

It’s as dangerous to think too high of yourself as it is to think too low of yourself. It’s often more important to say no to yourself than it is to know yourself. Instead of sitting and thinking about yourself, get up and encourage someone else.

“Humble yourself.” Humility is the absence of self-focus. Self-love wants to impress people and/or get their approval. Humility shifts us away from self-focus and into serving people.

The Second Greatest Commandment commands neighbor-love while assuming self-love. If you minimize your thoughts about yourself, you’ll maximize your happiness. My happiest moments are when I’m not thinking about myself.

If criticism bothers you, it’s a sign of self-focus and pride. Follow God’s heart. Humility comes from self-forgetfulness and focusing on God’s forgiveness and mercy, not from self-criticism. Our concept of greatness is an illusion of fame but Jesus said that the greatest shall be the least.

Self-love makes it difficult to fully embrace painful truth. Self-love makes us think that we are competent to run our own life and only need God as an occasional back-up. When you feel bad about yourself that’s an invitation to surrender yourself to the living Jesus.

Try focusing on Jesus instead of yourself. Jesus commands us to love other people, not to compare ourselves to them.

Self-forgetfulness frees you to experience the joy of caring about and serving others. Self-consciousness shuts down joy and peace. Being continually conscious of the presence of Jesus ignites them.

The less you think about yourself, the more you can think about Jesus and other people. The more you forget about yourself and focus on the risen Jesus the more insecurity and self-consciousness fade away. The more we learn to be aware of and care about the needs and troubles of other people the more we forget our own.

Like the Pharisee’s prayer, self-love tends to look for people to look down on so it can feel better about itself.

Loving others,
Focusing on their desires
And feelings,
Requires
That you set aside
Your own.
Be someone who inspires,
Not someone
Who stays stuck
In your own desires.

Love yourself?
“Humble yourself.”
“Turn the other cheek.”
“Take the lowest place.”
“Bless those who curse you.”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.”
“Blessed are those who mourn.”
“Seek first the kingdom of God.”
“No one is good–except God alone.”
“Hunger and thirst for righteousness.”
“Whoever wants to save their life will lose it.”
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me.”