Why Self-Love is Sacred and needs to be part of your Spiritual Practice.

I remember when my childhood best friend used to bring me to her church youth group on Friday nights. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself biting my tongue and editing my personality so that I would not appear unholy and undeserving of the company I was among. I was careful to be on my BEST behavior. You know, my “church” behavior. Where I put my profanity away in my back pocket and traded my heathen lip color for clear church girl lip-gloss. We all got a “church” self. Do we not? It’s the clean edit version of ourselves that we present as a sign of reverence when we enter a house of worship. We make sure to come correct because we believe that we are entering a sacred space where the spirit of God resides.

But here’s the thing.

God actually shows up at church when WE do.

When we think we are walking into a temple, WE are actually the temple walking in. (Did you catch that? If not, read it AGAIN!) When we think we are entering into a sacred place where God abides, WE are actually the sacred space that is entering in because it is in US, not a building, where the spirit of God resides.

So, sorry to break it to you, but all the fancy church hats, three piece suits, shiny pearls, and glossy church shoes in the world ain’t impressing God. They’re nice and all. I ain’t knocking it. I’m just saying. It’s representative of a culture that goes to church. But while many of us are going to church, we forget that WE ARE the church. Real church occurs in people, not places. We clean up and dress up to enter the house of God when it is our heart that is the house of God.

In no way am I saying that we shouldn’t carry ourselves highly when we enter a house of worship. What I’m saying is that we need to carry ourselves highly all the time because we are houses of worship. And we need to begin applying the same level of respect that we show to buildings that symbolize the presence of God to OUR OWN HEARTS that actually house the presence of God. Because WE are God’s temple and God abides in US.

Now you know I gotta go to that good ole’ bible to back me up. So here’s a scriptural reference for those of you who won’t find this post credible without one (I ain’t mad at ya’ll. I totally understand):

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy and sacred, and you are that temple” (1Cor 3:16-17)

There you have it. Paul said it himself. We are God’s temple and God resides in us…Point…Blank…Period.

So now let’s examine some of our spiritual practices when it comes to how we demonstrate our affection towards God:

Some of us are adamant about taking time out of our schedules to attend church services where we make sure to lay up offerings before the altar as a means of showing honor and appreciation to God.

These practices serve a purpose because they symbolize the need to nurture our spirit and to connect with our creator.

But let’s go a little deeper…

(I told ya’ll in my intro post that I like deep talk didn’t I?…I keep my word!).

If God resides on the INSIDE OF US and our body is God’s temple, wouldn’t that make our heart an altar and the love we show ourselves an offering to the Divine?

(I can already hear the suspense music playing in some of your heads. You may be saying to yourselves, “I was kind of feelin’ this girl until now, but where the heck is she going with this one?”)

Well I’ll tell you where I’m going. I’m going to church.

For a long time, church was an external place I went to worship God. But it has gradually become more of an internal place where I lay up offerings of love and affection at the altar of my heart and come to worship God in his true temple: My Self.

(There goes that suspense music again…bare with me)…

“But wait, isn’t worship an act we express towards God? Doesn’t it mean to sing hymns and gospel songs and clap our hands and close our eyes and lift our hands and shout and cry and listen to sermons?”

Well, sure.

But it shouldn’t end there.

We have grown very accustomed to external expressions of spiritual practice that take place outside of ourselves.

But with God dwelling on the inside of us, wouldn’t expressions of love towards ourselves be a reflection of our love for God?

This is why I view self-love as sacred and believe that it is an essential part of our spiritual practice.

As I began to incorporate self-love into my spiritual practice, I began to discover that as I tend to myself, I am also attending church. Because I AM the church. WE ARE the church. Church is not a building. Church is a body. Our bodies are the buildings where the Spirit of God abides. And when we are acknowledging the presence of God within, then church is indeed taking place.

I mean, we ourselves are God’s temples aren’t we?

When we bring our offerings inward through self-love, we are nurturing the divine presence of God that dwells within.

 

How we treat ourselves becomes an act of service. How we speak to ourselves becomes a form of prayer.

Because God is not a separate entity.

The air in our lungs and the blood in our veins is the presence of God. Our heartbeats are the footsteps of God. God LIVES and WALKS and MOVES through US. Our lives are vessels containing the very breath of God.

Therefore,

Self-Love can be seen as an act of worship in itself.

 

I mean, think about it.

To love and admire a work of art is to appreciate the artist who created it. To savor and enjoy a meal, is to appreciate the chef who prepared it. To engage yourself in a book is to appreciate the author who wrote it. To dance to a song is to appreciate the musician who composed it.

And so it is with US.

To love and honor ourselves, is to appreciate the God who created us.

 

There is no separation.

Many travel miles away on spiritual pilgrimages to visit sacred locations that are said to inhabit the presence of God. But the truest spiritual pilgrimage one can take is the journey within oneself.

So if you are looking for the presence of God, save your miles and just check your pulse.

God is so much closer than you think.

 

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If you like this post, there is SO MUCH MORE where this came from! I literally had to force myself to wrap it up because I’ve got so much more to share with ya’ll. But I think this was a healthy dose for now….

In the meantime…

Did something resonate for you? Do you have any questions? Do you need some clarification? Disagree? Please don’t hesitate to hit me up in the comments below, via my email at thelovelutionist@gmail.com, or through my social media accounts on facebook and instagram @the lovelutionist.

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One Love.

Till’ Next Time,

Lucky, The Lovelutionist