I love myself

Me, covered in love 2008 (wow short hair). photo jo egerton

No I’m not being arrogant, I really do love my self, I am the best ME in the universe and guess what you are the best YOU.

So go ahead and fall in love.

I can honestly say that I love myself because God loved me first and showed me who I am, “loved”. He has shown his love to me directly in my mind and heart, through feelings, dreams and through others in how they treat me, even through bill boards, books, films etc..

In that contentment of knowing I’m loved I can love others selflessly, and with all my heart. I can put others first, effortlessly.

I know people struggle to even like themselves, let alone love, but I’ve realised that just because I sometimes struggle doing things wrong, disliking myself, doesn’t mean thats who I am. I'm a whole, complete, God made "being" who occasionally makes mistakes, I am not a broken, incomplete, God made "being" who occasionally gets things right.

Lets focus on who we truly are not who others say we are, and lets treat people that way.

I was reminded the other day of something I’ve been thinking of lately. One of the first things people ask when they first meet you is “What do you do?” Its a fair question which I sometimes ask and find myself asking when I don’t really want to, it just pops out, (we have been conditioned that way). When some people ask this they are consciously or subconsciously seeing how successful you are, they will measure there reaction to you based on your answer. Feeling better or less than them.

I am not putting people down, I do this sometimes, and we have all sorts of reasons why we ask and need to ask this question. I want to ask this question and others like “who are you, what do you think about, enjoy, dislike?’ Not to judge or measure myself against them but to find out who they are, to be interested in them, show I care.

Its so easy to slip in to the other way but I’m trying not to. I encourage you to do the same.

If I were to stand in front of the queen, prime minister, Einstein or Moses I would respect them but not feel less or more than them (well thats my goal, I may have shaky legs with Moses)

The problem in answering that question for me is that, as my last post (here) says, I don’t fit in a box so easily.

I don’t like to separate job and the rest of me, its all just me. My paid jobs and other life activities may vary as I move through life but they are all just an expression of who I am as a whole. My paid job on its own doesn’t even come close to explaining who I am, but it does express a part of me, a good part.

I am a decorator/maintenance man as a paid job. If people based there view of me on that, well I would be an unsuccessful business man in many (most) peoples eyes, an honest hard worker in others. If I told you I had only “worked” 4 paid days since the beginning of Dec 2016 and said I have little cash at the moment, I may get the ”well just get a job” “ advertise" “ thats not God” etc..comments. But in this time I have never felt closer to Him, I also knew before hand I would be doing less “paid" work. It has given me time to express some of the other parts of me. Starting this blog, meeting people for coffee, going for walks and thinking about life with God.

I have to keep an eye on myself to make sure I’m not being lazy, but I will judge that on what God says not the worlds attitude, measuring stick.

I define who I am in the things I do, the things I do do not define me. They are an expression of me.

There are effects of my choices, most good(easy) some challenging. If I don’t have paid work, where does my money come from? I want to travel, visit people, take photographs etc, where does that money come from? I have simply got to trust God, listen to him, keep an eye out for opportunities, do some paid jobs, hope people see how I live is God’s choice and back me.

Also I truly believe in miracles, I have seen, read and heard of many. Money literally falling from the sky, appearing in bank accounts. Food on the doorstep, people healed. It didn’t stop after the bible was written.

So I encourage you LOVE YOURSELF as God does, love others, be loved by others. Be yourself, be open to change, be open to be changed. Love life. smile as much as possible.

Untill next time

Tony