Learning How to Love by the Acceptance of Love

Love: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.

by Mike Corthell

Today is your writer's birthday. Being born in 1952, he is 64 years old. He is going to bare his soul by revealing something that he found this past year. Love. He found and was given the love of his life Caroline. And he did so because he was finally ready.

He found that he could (and should) love himself. He did this by finding out, and fully understanding, with wisdom, that God does indeed love him. He accepts all of this as the gift of grace. The grace of God.

That, my friends is the basis of today's teaching article. Learning how to love by the acceptance of love.

“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.”
—Lucille Ball

Most people who are seeking relationships are looking for true and lasting love. They have a need and a want for that special person who will meet their deepest needs while they in return love them equally back.

There are some people who seem to find partners easily, partners who want to be in loving, committed relationships with them. It doesn't seem that they have to try very hard to attract the partners they want. We usually think of these kinds of people as the 'blessed and the beautiful'. People who are valuable members of society. But, in reality, most of them are just ordinary people. However, they do have some characteristic traits and behaviors that set them apart from the majority.They are independent, contained, confident, and not needful. They are comfortable in their own skin. They also realize that they can be happy just being with themselves and being themselves.

They love themselves.

The first step, as I said was understanding that God does indeed love me. I knew that from a young age really, but didn't accept it. How did I finally accept it?

I accepted me for me and I forgave me. I knew I was forgiven by God. So the reasoning goes, ''I should forgive me too.'' (this was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, without exception)

I then started being kind to myself. Thinking of the need to take care of myself. I practiced what some call self-compassion.

I then started to understand the difference between self-compassion and self-esteem. They are similar concepts but, they have some serious differences. Self-esteem is what you think and how you feel about yourself. It is a very important part of being a healthy, happy person. However, it can be motivated by someone complimenting you. For instance you feel handsome because someone says you look great today. On the other hand, self-compassion is about accepting yourself, warts and all, and treating yourself with kindness and understanding. Following the golden rule, ''do unto others, as you would have done unto you'', you can ''do unto yourself, as you do unto others.'' Be kind to all.

I used to pray to be loved the way I tried to love my wives. I wanted that badly. I didn't know what was the matter. I never realized what the core of the matter was. It was that I did not love myself, period.

It has been said, many times and in many ways throughout the ages that until you are ready for a thing, you will not receive that thing. To receive love you have to 'be love'. Accept love and practice love.

We 'become love' by knowing that God is indeed love, that He loves us, bcause we are made in His image. Until you believe this, something will always be missing from your life.

So, in the end, when we leave this wonderful and beautiful world, all we can take with us is love, because love is all there is...

Love God, Love your neighbor and Love your life.

Love,

Michael

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''All You Need Is Love''

The Beatles

There's nothing you can know that isn't known.
Nothing you can see that isn't shown.

Nothing you can make that can't be made.
No one you can save that can't be saved.

There's nothing you can do that can't be done.
Nothing you can sing that can't be sung.
Nothing you can say, but you can learn
How to play the game
It's easy...