My Many Parts

Lever 2000 says you should love all 2000 parts of you. I was thinking about that ‘cause I’m pretty sure I don’t love all 2000 parts of me. Not even close. I know it’s sad, but it’s the truth. I feel the need to be honest on this point. I remember a long stretch of time where I didn’t really like any of my 2000 parts. I kept thinking if I would just ________, I would be beautiful and I would be happy with myself. Of course, that’s not the answer…no matter how much weight I lost, no matter how I styled my hair, no matter how much I worked out, no matter what clothing I wore, it was never enough. I was always too pudgy, too boyish, too flabby, too ________ (you get the idea). However, when I was shopping the other day, I realized I’m better than I was. I still don’t love all 2000 parts, but there are a few I love. I love my eyes. I love my mouth. I love my wrists. I love my feet. I love my shoulders and my neck. The sad part is that there’s a big gap there. There’s a large percentage of those 2000 parts that I am not in love with….yet? I hope it’s a yet. Mother Teresa said something to the effect of: Jesus said to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, we must learn to love ourselves as Jesus does. I believe she had it right. I mean, if we can’t accept Jesus’s love for us, if we can’t learn to love ourselves, how are we going to show the world Christ’s love. Understand that I’m not saying that I should get all down on myself over this because that would be counter-productive. I am saying, though, that I hope that God will be patient with me and continue to work in me and show me what He’s doing in me and through me. I pray that God will continue to reveal to me what He thinks of me. I pray that God will show me my beauty. I pray that I’ll listen and learn how to love myself more. I mean, the thing I’m really looking for is God esteem rather than self esteem. It makes me think of the song “Heaven’s Eyes” from the Prince of Egypt. I want to learn to look at myself through Heaven’s Eyes a little more often. I want to be able to see the beauty and love in my life that I so easily recognize in the lives of my friends.