Love yourself!

When reading the scriptures this week with my wife I realized something that has a pretty great impact on me.  I was thinking about the words of the scripture in Mark 12:29-31.  I have read this scripture many times but, as is common with the scriptures, there was some significance to my life to be found in the scriptures that the spirit could  teach me that I had not previously seen before.  This verses read as follows.   

29 "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."  (Mark 12:29-31)

The part of these verses that was significant to me on this occasion was the first part of verse 31, "love thy neighbor as thyself."  I believe that it is common for us to look at this commandment and, with the righteous attitude of humility, think that it is telling us to love ourselves less.  For some reason we completely ignore the actual words the Lord says and we think, "this means I shouldn't love myself."  We may not think this consciously but I know that I have been guilty of pulling this meaning from this verse.  Taking the time to really think about the commandment though I realized a simple but important truth.  THE LORD WANTS US TO LOVE OURSELVES.  Love your neighbor as thyself.  is a very weak commandment if we think that means we should not love ourselves.  I believe he would rather we love ourselves more so that we will love our neighbors more.  

While I believe I could write much more on this topic I think you get my point.  So what am I going to do now?

I am going to love myself more.  How?  I am going to apply another thought I had that very much applies to this idea. That thought is that the Lord does not compare us to others when he judges us.  We are each judged individually.  So, if the Lord wants me to love myself and he does not compare my to others I will not do that either.  I believe this will help me to be more confident and sure of myself.