To the Journal editor:

Lately the news has been full of homicides and suicides, sometimes with the person killing other people and then killing himself. Homicide is the deadly form of abuse; suicide is the deadly form of self-abuse.

Sometimes bullying, pride, lack of forgiveness, anger, revenge and hatred cause homicides. Sometimes selfish self-love related to greed causes crimes, such as theft/armed robbery. Sometimes unhealthy self-love leads to the use of alcohol and other drugs that cause crimes, such as drunk driving accidents. Sometimes lack of godly self-love leads to homicides and suicides.

In Luke 10:27, God’s commandments are reduced to a few simple words – easy to read, but hard to apply: “…Thou shalt love the Lord thy God…and thy neighbour as thyself.”

Keeping God’s commandments is a way to show our love for God: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

We know many ways to show our love for other people, though we do not always show love for others.

What about the last part of Luke 10:27 – love others as you love yourself? This refers to healthy unselfish self-love. Does someone you know feel unworthy? Is that person being bullied? Is that person abusing himself/herself? Is that person neglecting himself/herself? Do you feel that way sometimes?

We can get our confidence from God, so we will not listen to the lies of criticisms and bullying from other people. We can forgive ourselves for whatever wrongs we have done. We can use our angry energy to solve our problems, not make more problems. We can take good care of ourselves.

If you love yourself, you will know how to love your neighbor. Do you love yourself?

Mary Goloversic

Ishpeming