To Love Yourself.
What does it mean to love yourself?
If you are willing to suffer, then you are willing to love yourself.
As crazy as the statement may sound, I believe it to be true.
To be willing to suffer means you must know the consequences of suffering, yet allow yourself bear those consequences.
But why would anyone freely choose to suffer?
No one chooses to suffer because no one wants to suffer.
I don’t think there is anyone I know who would want to dwell in suffering, but I view it as a necessity of life.
Without it, our lives may have no meaning.
Our lives are so intricate that one cannot live without the other.
We cannot be all good and all happy always.
We need to be all sad and all angry as to remind us that we are only human and every moment we experience, good or bad, are only temporary.
So why hold it against yourself.
Because it feels like the world is against you?
Then you are not ready mentally and most importantly spiritually to love yourself.
Many philosophers believe suffering is necessary in order to find meaning in our lives.
Friedrich Nietzsche once said ‘To live is to suffer, as life in itself is innately suffering’.
If we believe that in this life we must suffer one way or the other, and the suffering we are to face is inevitable, we would have no choice but to accept the consequences, or rather let it take its course.
How many times have you suffered, and how many times have you conquered that limited time you suffered?
How many times did you rise up after you fell?
You know you would always persevere so why not face it with all your might when next it strikes at you.
Surely you will overcome.
It’s only temporary.
So if you’re willing to suffer, knowing you would persevere every time, isn’t that a good reason to love yourself and keep fighting for yourself and what you believe?
Why not choose to love yourself in the same manner you were willing to suffer when knowing you didn’t die during the time of your suffering.
Many have taken the shorter route of suicide to end their suffering.
And I say, they have failed God and themselves.
To love yourself means you know you would suffer one way or the other.
So would you dwell in self pity, or would you turn your suffering into an arsenal of opportunities to build yourself up and watch yourself rise up.
My dear people of God,
Let us be happy.