God wasn’t fooling around when He made His commandments, and there were a lot of them. When we read them, we see a clear division between those that deal with our relationship with God and those that deal with our relationships with the people around us.

Jesus made it very simple: Love God with all you’ve got and with all you are. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts. Nada. After that heavenly view, we turn our eyes to those around us and we love them as we love ourselves.

I believe the second can be much harder than it seems for one huge reason: we don’t love ourselves. It’s really hard to love someone else as you love yourself if you don’t love you. Of course, I’m not talking about arrogant self-centered love. I’m talking about loving the made-in-God’s-image person you are. I’m talking about the person you get to see in the mirror.

If you’re to fulfill the second commandment, you’re going to have to love you. You’re going to have to think you’re made well, beautiful even. Handsome if you prefer that adjective. You’re going to have to believe that you have worth. You’re going to have to believe what God says about you. Only then can you truly love others as yourself.

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Once you’ve chosen to love you like God does — did I not mention that part? Yeah, like God does… look around you. Look at your family, your friends, the guy at the gas station, the person in the other car, the people in the doctor’s office, the lady in line at the grocery store. Look at every human being and see them like you now see yourself and feel the love for them you didn’t know existed.

Pretty simple set of rules; isn’t it? Love God first and foremost. Love yourself so you can love others like that. Now, go put that sticky note on the mirror.

Coffee, Bible, Journal.