Loving Ourselves and Others Part 3
September 17, 2026
Another interpretation of the concept of “Loving Ourselves” is that we love ourselves so that we can truly love others. This means practicing self-compassion, staying aware of our needs, and making sure they are met as we continue our healing journey. We actively love ourselves not only because we are cherished creations, but because we genuinely desire to be vital conduits of love to others.
You may have heard the thought that the broken vessel is the one most able to love others. While brokenness may lead to hardened bitterness for some, for others it is a gateway to deeper love. Our experience with brokenness can deepen our compassion and teach us how to love with greater sensitivity. After all, brokenness is the direct experience of being on the hurting side of life when we could not heal ourselves and had to look to others.
In our own hour of need, we discover what comforts and heals us, and we value those who so unselfishly give of themselves. We remember those who came to visit when they knew we were hurting, those who listened, prayed with us, and even wept with us. We go back to the times when things were done for us that we did not even ask for, but that some dear soul knew needed to be done without even being asked. We recall that the company of others during hardship gave comfort beyond our imagination.
So, the spiritual wisdom that can emerge from brokenness teaches us about pain, as well as its healing. It teaches us how to minister to others because we too have been there, have learned what is needed, and know we will likely be in that situation again.
Some believe that brokenness is spiritual emptiness. No. When placed in divine light, our brokenness is the perfect, overflowing container of divine love. This is possible because the holes and cracks in our broken life ensure that the love God poured into us, continuously pours out to others. Our brokenness, our cracks and punctures, prevent us from hoarding love in a tightly sealed reservoir. Therefore, our life is a broken but blessed container for continuously flowing love. It is not emptiness, inferiority, or depravity.
Spiritual Practice
In contemplation, reflect on your most broken moments. Write down what and who contributed most to your healing. How have those gifts to you been incorporated into your own ways of helping others in their brokenness?
Inquiry
What are some ways that you love yourself and pass that love along to others?
Prayer
Dear God,
Little did I know that loving myself would open me to the healing of my brokenness. Just being able to accept the love of others and my own love for myself is wondrous.
Amen
