The Greatest Love
Alicia Economos
Speaker | Author | Founder & Director of Wholehearted Living Inc. - a non profit dedicated to enhancing mental, physical and spiritual health by helping people develop relationships that thrive!
Whitney Houston was one of my favorite female performers and even now, a decade later, I still think of her and her tragic death. However, I also remember her incredible, powerful voice.
I was recently driving and heard one of her biggest hits, “The Greatest Love of All.” As I enjoyed singing along, it hit me that the lyrics from that song are the bullseye for living wholeheartedly.
I’ve found the greatest love of all
Inside of meThe greatest love of all is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
Scripture provides the same message; Matthew 22:39 says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The inherent assumption is that you do in fact love yourself.
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Unfortunately, most of us (especially as women) are our own harshest critic; we’re extremely hard on ourselves. Sadly, we fail to offer ourselves the understanding and forgiveness that we so easily offer to others.
If you’re a mother, how would you feel if someone criticized your child? I know I’d feel outraged! Have you considered the fact that God feels the same way about you? He’s not okay with anyone bashing His beloved daughter. You’re the apple of His eye and He created you in His perfect image, exactly as He desired.
So what will it take for you to learn to love yourself?
Often, it takes patience and methodically decluttering your relationship with yourself. As you connect with your past experiences and your feelings and beliefs associated with those experiences, you can begin to sort through them. As you do, you can learn to let go of the stuff that’s been holding you back and preventing you from living wholeheartedly.
Even better, once you learn to love yourself, you’ll be in a position to fully experience the love of God, which is THE greatest love of all. (Psalm 136:26)