We are continuing to open up about the order of “love” with “Love Yourself” in part 2 of the Out of Order Series. Hopefully, you are learning what “love” is so that you can operate in it more fully and more safely. Remember, God wants to guard our hearts to guide our hearts, and He can only do that if we get the order right. So today we are allowing that love for Him to guide us in loving ourselves.

“Self love” is a word that gets a lot of attention, and it should, but more often than not, it ends up being more akin to lust – fueled by possession and need rather than protection and companionship. We don’t want to be “lovers of ourselves” which leads us into self-gratification to the exclusion of others, but rather we want God’s love to extend to our worth and lead us to be loving and gracious towards ourselves, keeping us guarded instead of open to deception, and engaging care for self for continued health.

If I love myself OVER God, it becomes dangerous to others, setting them up to be hurt, misused, and/or abandoned. When the narrative of my love shifts into only what is “best for me” then I am excluding a huge majority of the population. God’s love, in its purity, includes self but extends to embrace and acknowledge others in a way that promotes value and grace.

Love without limits (read that as “boundaries”) isn’t freedom, its chaotic and oppressive. Keep listening to learn why and how.

Scriptures to follow up with:

Romans 12:1

2 Timothy 3:1-2 and 3-5

Hebrews 12:16

Unending gratitude to:

Tuxradio – audio editing and production

Tina Marie Alverenga – logo and design