Thursday, April 12, 2007

Gnothi Seauton and Know Love

The Ancient Greeks said "gnothi seauton", translated "know thyself", and sometimes expanded to:

"Know thyself - and thou shall know all the mysteries of the gods and of the universe."

Well, I don't know about that but what I do know is that knowing one's self comes before learning to love others. When I see myself as I am, with all my good and all my brokenness and inadequacies and I learn to love myself in spite of myself; then, and only then, can I begin to love others as the Unbroken Father loves me.

But if I will not see myself as the broken man that I am then I will continue to only love others for what they can offer me. I will find that I have wasted my life looking for another and another and another who is worthy of love as I think I am.

Jesus, the Master Teacher, put it this way, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22

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