The only intrinsic evil is lack of love.—John Robinson
When we have feelings of self-hate, we have spiritual problems. It is a time to turn to our program for help. In the early stages of recovery, we may, at times, feel more shameful than we ever did before, simply because we are becoming honest about how we feel. We may even become ashamed of our guilty feelings, and then the problem escalates.
Lack of love for ourselves is at the heart of our problem. We cannot become self-loving by force of will, but we can stop being so willful by simply yielding to the care of a loving God. At those moments we do not feel deserving of love, but we can stop fending it off. Perhaps God’s love is coming to us in the concern of a friend or partner. Maybe it comes in the warm sunshine or in the smile of a child. As we yield to it, we take a spiritual leap into a world we don’t control and we didn’t create, but we can be healed by it.
Today, I will surrender to the love that comes from the world around me and let it teach me how to love myself.
I know I have been sick a long time. I haven’t picked up a drink in almost 25 years, but I haven’t found a way to love myself. I like what is written here. Thank you.