The first day of summer—the longest day of the year—felt like the longest day of my life. Years of stress had taken a toll in the form of lost sleep, lost weight and lost relationships. Yet I was gaining much-needed perspective.
Women, especially moms, feel responsible for juggling many tasks and putting the needs of others first. I had it bad. Sometimes I felt I couldn’t refuse, even when I knew complying wasn’t good for my own peace of mind.
We can find comfort in the depth of Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). We tend to forget the “as yourself.” According to Jesus, we should want our neighbors to have the same good things we want for ourselves. Jesus’ words also assume that it is good to love yourself and that loving yourself teaches you how to care deeply for neighbors.
This message is adapted from “It’s time to go deep” written by Elizabeth Hunter that first appeared in the September 2018 issue of Gather magazine.
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