J.O.Y. Is not the second commandment

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I was taught that JOY stood for three words.
1) Jesus first
2) Others  second 
3) Yourself last

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  Mark:12:3

Sounds good, right? 

Believing that a selfless life is what is required has been a key ingredient to my story. Loving myself? That was just selfish. But Jesus thought it  was so important that he made it number two on the list.

So, Love God! That's a given, but how do I love myself?

1) Selfishness is preferring yourself over others in an unhealthy manner.
2) Loving yourself is taking care of yourself so you can help others.

Wow! See what I mean? It sounds so much different than what I  believed.  No wonder I found it hard to find joy. I thought that "sacrifice" was the motto of all Christian. You know... be miserable so others can be happy?
When you're on an airplane and the stewardess/steward says,  "Please put your mask on first; then assist others around you." WOW! Isn't that selfish?  No. You can’t help someone else if you lose consciousness.

Question: So, how do you love yourself?

1) "Well, I buy myself anything I want with  no regard to the consequences" NOPE! That's selfishness.


2) " I keep my health in the best possible condition so that when someone needs me I am capable of helping them." YES!

It's self love and selfless love at the same time. If you're like me you're going to have to meditate on this for a while. Jesus first, Others second and Yourself last makes you ....tired.
Jesus first, caring for yourself as Jesus would and being free to care for others: JOY!

I wish you joy!




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