How can we properly love ourselves, as the Bible says, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31b)? Pastor Matt Chandler says people tend to misinterpret the proper way to love oneself, and that can manifest itself in mental illness.
“The most popular [interpretation] today and the most devastating is, ‘Accept yourself'” Chandler says. “Now, ‘accept yourself’ is going to go one of two ways: On the far end of ‘accept yourself’ is mental illness.
“I’m not meaning this to be funny; I want it to break your heart: There’s a 20-year-old girl that thinks she’s a cat. She said it was revealed to her when she was a little girl that she’s not human at all, that she’s a cat, so she hisses at dogs, she crawls on all fours. … She’s mentally ill, and no one can tell her that anymore. Why? Because she’s just accepted herself.”
So, what is the right approach? Chandler says our love for self is properly understood when we recognize the incredible love of God. That He would meet us in our weakness over and over again is a profound truth that helps us see our worth and value in Him.
To watch the entire sermon, click here.
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