“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  Mark 12:31

The scripture “Love your neighbor as yourself” is repeated ten times in the bible:  Once in Leviticus, three times in Matthew, twice in Mark, once in Luke, Romans, Galatians, and James.  Mark 12:31b actually states, “There is no commandment greater than these.”  God must really want us to understand this.  We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. It is practically impossible to love anyone if we do not love ourselves.

When traveling by air, as soon as the fuselage door is closed, the flight attendants go over safety procedures.  Oxygen masks will fall from the ceiling and passengers are reminded to put the masks over their own mouths first in order to assist others with their masks.  The same principle can be applied here:  We cannot love our neighbors if we do not love ourselves, which means we must love ourselves first.  One must conclude that we cannot love ourselves and punish ourselves at the same time which is a rejection of God’s Grace.  In order to love ourselves, we must learn to let go of the things we have done in our past that we are ashamed of; the things that continue to push us further into our pit.

Scripture also tells us not to judge.  If we are not willing to accept God’s gift of forgiveness, then we are judging ourselves. (1Cor 4:3)  Applying the same principle as stated above, you cannot love yourself and judge yourself at the same time.  Your unwillingness to forgive yourself is playing God.  God is the One and Only true judge.

Refusing to forgive yourself is saying  the blood Jesus shed was not sufficient to cover your sins.  So, I suppose it all comes down to one simple question:  How much more blood must Jesus have shed in order for your sins to be forgiven?

Peace be with you.

~Julia