The odds are good that you don’t have a solid role model for loving and respecting yourself or even truly understand what agape love is. Most of us didn’t/don’t. Most of us are not even aware that we are not loving and respectful toward ourselves. Many, myself included, have been taught that living a life of total sacrifice and suffering is the way to go. Being a martyr is great but when that becomes unsustainable, you blow up and say it is my turn and I am taking my share now, by force if necessary. I lived that out for many years.
I still subscribe to those same beliefs of humility and service. The difference is that now I am finally understanding what that means for me in a much healthier way. For God so loved the world, that He sent His Son and saved us. He chose us and He made us worthy. I realize now that my first role is to receive the Gift of His love. I have done that and continue to do it daily simply by acknowledging and being thankful. Then I look to see myself through the eyes of the Creator. He made me. I am His child. I am done telling Him everything wrong with His creation. It was like I had been calling His sweet baby ugly for years! Everything about me He created or allowed. So I now accept it and ask to become more like what He envisioned from the beginning. Because I accept the Gift first, then and only then am I able to truly love others with the overflow.
Being humble does not mean that you tear yourself down. Being humble does not mean hiding your light under a rock. Being humble does not mean downplaying or squashing your unique talents and skills. Serving doesn’t mean giving so much of yourself that there isn’t enough to sustain you. Serving doesn’t mean living someone else’s dream for you.
Humility and service mean committing your life to being the best you that you can be. To be in awe of all that you have been given and to commit to a life of growing and sharing that with the world. There is only one you! You must fiercely guard your time, your mind, your actions, your body from anything that would distract you from or steal your destiny. You have a role to play in this world today.
You also have free will. You are able to choose. My prayer is that you choose to accept the Gift and actively incorporate what that really means into your life. My life’s work is to help people to do that.
