WE are told to love our neighbors as ourselves, but the problem is most of us don’t even like who we are and we see others through the same lens and lack the capacity to love anyone. If I find a problem with most people, I know it is because I’m not loving myself. I need a revelation on how to love me from the inside out. I need to love all of my parts; those who criticize my lazy days and junk food eating nights, those parts who hold resentment toward family members and anger at betraying friends.  The parts of me who wail from the depths of depravity, and those who sarcastically quip in public all have opposing parts who want me to mate up, button it up, smile pretty, pretend to be sweet and play nicely. All of these parts rival eacheach other like kids on the playground at recess,  jockeying  for position to get my attention so they can be acknowledged and affirmed.  Truth be told, they don’t like their one-sided view and would want to be included on neighborly gatherings. The shame and loneliness many of them feel keep them in the dark away from the possibility of love within. As they reside in a position of doing the only thing they know, they distance themselves from other parts out of fear and remain stuck in tasks for survival. But when I go to them and extend compassion, a relationship is formed and our conversation can help them feel that their role and what they do inside of me, is valid. Through our trust I can share with them that their help is interpreted differently outside of my system, and that our neighbors with hurting parts of their own, may not feel loved by their protective approach. So with understanding, I can convince my parts that loving themselves and my loving them is enough for them to want change.  They willingly unburden the opinion they have been lugging around for decades, and may even discover that some of the baggage came from what others placed on them. In laying down the harsh remedies that prove their unworthy of love, they can feel safe, secure and accepted, and integrate with the values God gave us at birth. Through reclaiming their liberty to love they help me love my neighbors who often reminded me of what I didn’t even like inside myself.

Faith is more than observing feast days, and holding sacred assemblies, true religion is righteous living through relationship with self to Jesus that pours out onto my neighbors.