I remember the first time I heard Whitney Houston sing this song. The lyrics leaped from the record and into my heart. She verbalized a truth that often remains unspoken: loving oneself is the greatest evidence of love.
Contrary to popular belief, love is not a noun it is a verb. While it is an emotion that can be experienced, its presence directly correlates with a person’s behaviors. Actions do speak louder than words. Saying I love you to someone a million times a day is not indicative of love. Doing kind things for that person, spending time with them and genuinely taking an interest in things that concern them is love in action. What does this mean?
When you see a homeless person in the street who is asking you for money for food and you do nothing to help, the love of Christ in you falls silent. When you see a young person who seems upset or may really need someone to talk to and you pass them by without so much as a word of encouragement, the love of Christ within you grows weak. When you look at yourself and loathe your body size or skin color to the point of self loathing, the love of Christ in you crumbles.
In order to love the way Christ loves, we have to walk in love. We have to operate in it daily or we run the risk of being frigid, calloused Christians. We must sow what we hope to reap. If we sow love then we will reap love. If we sow kindness then we will reap it in return. Buddhists call this the principle of reciprocity or the Golden Rule.
The bible says that while we were still sinners, Christ died for our sins. Jesus did not wait until we were ready to make His sacrifice. He made the sacrifice because He loved us. His love for us compelled Him to act. The same has to be true for the believer. Our love for Christ has to compel us to act on His behalf. Do not allow your actions to kill off the love of God living on the inside of you. Do not allow indifference to suffering to prevent you from exuding compassion on those less fortunate than yourself.
Some times, people are insensitive to the plights of others because they do not love themselves. In truth, how can we expect persons with hardened hearts to exude kindness, compassion or love? We cannot. Much of the sadness or indifference we encounter in life, could be a direct result of how we deal with others. This is when it becomes poignant to ask the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts. We need His help to transcend the walls we’ve built inside us. Allow God’s love to help you love yourself so you can love others.
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