Love Thyself
O Wretched man that I am!
In Romans, Paul confessed that, just like the rest of us, he found himself doing evil things even while he was trying to do good.1 Not that we didn't already know this. Paul, who taught others not to lay the burden of the Old Testament laws and traditions on Christians, lashed out at women because some were causing confusion in the church at Corinth. He said they should be under the authority of men because women were not created in the image of God.2 As if he had not said not enough already, he then proceeded to tell them: Let your women keep silence in the churches …as also says the law.3 Was this the same Paul who told the Galatians that in the church there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus?4 Maybe not. Perhaps this was that other Paul, the one who insulted everyone on the island of Crete when he wrote: The Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.5 So much for Love thy neighbor.
We all make mistakes, no matter how much we understand the will of God and try to do it. Even the greatest of saints blundered, including Abraham, Moses, David, and Peter. Their shortcomings were recorded not for us to judge them, but to demonstrate that God will still work through us even when we fail miserably. The only time he will give up is when we stop trying.
It's also important to know that God does not want us to go around condemning ourselves forever over our mistakes.6 One reason that judgmental religion has such power in the hands of God's enemies is that it is so effective at making people hate themselves. Remember, the Royal Law is Love thy neighbor as thyself. We must love ourselves before we can love others as ourselves. Psychologists find that most people who abuse others were abused themselves as children. Whether bullied in school or severely punished by parents, aggression builds. In extreme cases, they snap and go on a rampage. Their rage often ends with taking their own lives because they so hate the way they look, or feel, or act.
The Bible recognizes that our ability to follow Christ depends on how we feel about our mistakes.7 Each of us has areas in which we fail time and time again. Although we sometimes suffer the consequences of the sin that so easily besets us, we cannot become disparaged. Otherwise, it will become a root of bitterness toward God and others. Accepting ourselves is one of God's greatest gifts. It is our training ground to prepare us for truly accepting others despite their many faults.
References
1 Rom 7:15-25
2 1Cor 11:3, 7
3 1Cor 14:34
4 Gal 3:28
5 Tit 1:12
6 Rom 8:1
7 Heb 12:1-17
|
