The Labor of Self-Love

"The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed.  Think for yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you.  As long as you set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol.  How then can you hope to have inward peace?  The heart's fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest.  Continue this fight though the years and the burden will become intolerable.  Yet the sons of earth are carrying this burden continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing sleepless if another is preferred before them."

"Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear.  Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method.  The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort."

From:  The Pursuit of God.  A.W. Tozer

As a human, we often struggle with this concept of acceptance of who we are.  The process of loving ourselves for who we are. This seems right.  We need to accept ourselves for who we are.  Is it?  I like how Tozer presents it - we have set ourselves up as a little god.  Wow.  That puts it in a different perspective, doesn't it?  

I'll be vulnerable here for a minute.  Pastor's wives, to some in your ministry, we are the beloved.  We all love those people.  They make our "job" easy.  Yet in the light of reality, not everyone loves us.  And just to say that fact, hurts deeply.  Things you say...things you do...become misunderstood.  You want to protect yourself from the attacks, big or small.  Your mind can become consumed with what others think...how they perceive you...how to defend yourself.

Rethink the concept of self-love.  Give up the fight.  And you will find inward peace.