I've made a rather regular, and somewhat sarcastic, comment on this "commandment" that I think that's the problem: we do! In a generation where it's almost chic to have a therapist, and self-help books seem to have their own store, we're still completely clueless when it comes to loving ourselves.
How many of us really know how to Love someone? how many of us really Love ourselves? Experience on many levels has taught me that most humans' love for others comes with a litany of expectations and/or projections. We "love" husbands and family; and that "love" comes with unspoken expectations of what we'll receive from them in return, or projections of our past experience and self image. And, what happens if the other doesn't respond the way we'd imagined/hoped/expected? Resentment builds. Not very loving. But who pays the ultimate price? We do.
Then there's the other side of the coin: our waning self esteem. Most of us don't believe ourselves to be worthy. But what does scripture tell us? We are God's. We are incredible miracles. We're perfect in our imperfection. Twelve-step programs have a slogan: Progress not perfection.
I'd like to see us work to Love and act out of gratitude instead of expectation and fear. Respond, not anticipate. Look at the Perfect expression of God's unexpressible Self that resides in each of us.
Physicians? Heal thyselves. And Go forth into the world with the Knowledge of who you are at your Core.
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