Matt Walsh presented a post I agreed with at first but as it went on, I disagreed, to a certain extent. I decided I needed to work out what I really believe.
Perhaps the problem is in the choice of words. Love is being used as a blanket definition.
The first great commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, might, mind, and heart. The second is like unto it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
I look at it as a three-legged stool. It’s wobbly if it’s unbalanced. Love of self isn’t about how wonderful I am it’s about recognizing I am God’s child, worthwhile, lovable. Jesus loved me so much He died for me. I am His. As His, I am priceless. His love lives inside me, and because I am His I share the Love He’s demonstrated perfectly. Loving others is a natural extension.
However, I’m not perfect. It is difficult for me to love others if I’m wrapped up in seeing how awful I am. I mean, how could I bless anyone’s life when I’m such a horrible human being? If I don’t believe I’m worthy of love, will I look to God? God is Love.
Yes, I agree that self-esteem gurus have created a monster. Self-esteem has become about Selfish-demands.
I grew up hearing NM rattle off her affirmations. To be honest, I’m not sure she really believes it. She spouts it, but her behavior evidences she doesn’t. If a person truly believed they were worthy, would they need to demand affirmation from others? Would they need to destroy others?
The Project: Me by Judy 
(((((Judy))))) The scariest Bible verse for me as a child was always: “Be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” It always puzzled me. We couldn’t be perfect, we were sinful (albeit loved and forgiven, but, we kept sinning). But probably the word’s closest translation (from the Greek) is WHOLE/COMPLETE. Not perfect in the sense that we usually use that word.
It was a huge relief.
By: Mary on September 25, 2013
at 4:49 am
What a surprise the world corrupted the meaning… or not.
Learning that definition also made a huge difference for me. God wants me to be complete/whole, something only He can give.
By: Judy on September 25, 2013
at 6:55 am
Yeah, I think it is word usage. The true meaning of the word has been lost in society. Language comes with its own control features. xxoo
By: TR on September 25, 2013
at 1:36 pm
In my writing, part of the fun is finding the exact right word. 🙂
By: Judy on September 25, 2013
at 1:53 pm
🙂
By: TR on September 25, 2013
at 3:06 pm
Self esteem has gotten a bad rep. I think it’s entitlement that people confuse with self esteem. Being comfortable with yourself is good. Expecting everyone to treat you like #1 and trampling over others to get your desires is bad.
By: Pandora Viltis on September 27, 2013
at 11:14 am
Exactly!
By: Judy on September 27, 2013
at 12:13 pm
Bingo!
By: Cassandra on September 27, 2013
at 5:54 pm