Quote Contemplations

“To love others you must first love yourself.” – Leo Buscaglia *

 

            As odd as it may sound, too many people don’t love themselves. Whether it be from a poor upbringing or being constantly spoken to negatively, I happen to know that it’s true. When someone else criticizes you or puts you down verbally it has a negative effect on your psyche. Your self-esteem takes a beating. You begin to doubt yourself and your own abilities. 

            This is not how God intended it to be. He loves you and wishes you to prosper in every way. This has nothing to do with financial prosperity. It has everything to do with how you see yourself and what you’re able to accomplish in this life. If you’re told over and over again that you can’t do anything right it takes a toll on how you see yourself. You doubt your ability to do anything right. Is it because of the other person’s inability to deal with their own life? Maybe. Is it because of how they see themselves? Perhaps; building themselves up by knocking others down.

            The key to breaking that cycle in my humble opinion is to treat them the way you would like to be treated regardless of how they treat you. If they continue to hammer away at you verbally all the years of your association it can become difficult at times to accomplish this, but with the help of the Holy Spirit within you there is nothing you cannot do in this life. Listen to the soft inner voice of the Spirit. Place a greater importance on THAT voice and do your best to disregard the harsh voice that tries to downgrade you. With the Lord ANYTHING is possible... no exceptions. Have compassion on those around you who hate themselves and look to take a pound of flesh from you whenever they can. They need a touch from God, even if they are already His child. 

Christians are not immune to hating themselves and having it skew the way they see life and others. Pray for them and do your level best to be a positive example for them. It’s the right way to handle people with a low opinion of themselves. Seek to build them up at every opportunity. It will pay dividends in the end. 

Until next time, treat others the way you’d like to be treated.

In His Name & for His Glory,

RL Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

*American motivational speaker and writer (1924–1998).