Love Thyself

God created human beings; He created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature. -– Genesis 1:26-28

Tony Robbins once said, “Heal the boy and the man will appear.” This type of coaching advice is common, yet the real question is: How does one heal the boy? The boy, our inner child, must be reparented. Somewhere along the way, that inner child learned that love had to be earned through usefulness, that affection depended on what he could provide.  To reparent the inner child is to give yourself the unconditional love you crave.

When speaking with the Pharisees, Jesus summarized the Mosaic Law: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-38). Jesus calls the individual to love God, love oneself, and love one's neighbor. Of these three, loving yourself is often overlooked, but it’s crucial to include. Scripture confirms the intrinsic lovability of human beings. We are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). We are loved by God. David writes, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:4-5).

God made you unique. Your DNA is one of a kind, never to be replicated. There is no one else with your exact combination of gifts, experiences, and perspective. Your talent is your calling. Your uniqueness is your currency. Your singularity is your power. When the world says, “Be like everyone else,” God says, “Be more like you.”

Sophia Bush said, “It’s okay to be a work in progress and a masterpiece simultaneously.” Our mistakes and sins do not erase the fact that we are God’s masterpiece. There are reasons to love yourself the way God loves you. It’s a love not based on striving, but on simply being. The point of salvation, which is the greatest act of love, is that it cannot be earned. A love that must be earned isn’t love at all; it’s a transaction.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul devotes more time to what love isn’t than to what love is. In our fallen nature, we often get love wrong. People think love must be earned, chased, or traded. True love, however, can be summed up in the philosophy “come as you are.” That’s the heart of Christ, and it’s the type of love we should extend to ourselves.

In Philippians 4, Paul talks about contentment in all circumstances- whether he has a little or has a lot. The same principle applies to loving yourself. Self-love isn’t conditional. You can extend love to yourself, no matter what season you’re in. Love yourself when you’re thriving and when you’re struggling; on your masterpiece days and your work-in-progress days. Love yourself like that, and the child will heal. 

Author
Caleb Garcia
Administrative Assistant,
Natural Science Division, Seaver College