Loving Myself as My Neighbor

My dad beat me black and blue since infancy. Even me at 54 he continued to be cruel telling me to drink strychnine and die when I was trying to care for him and take him to the dr. At no time has my kind generosity mattered in him treating me with even any respect. I finally had to cut him off for my own health. I obviously chose similar relationships that were also abusive. The Lord had to do a work in me and that was to love myself as He loves and sees me. I was loving others but not loving myself. Once I started seeing myself the way Jesus sees me, I had to grieve. I had to apologize to myself for allowing a child of God to be treated so badly all of my life. I would do everything I could to protect others against such cruelty, but would subject myself to horrible treatment. I had to repent for abusing a child of God. Myself! Once I started doing this, I allowed God to bless me as well. He fulfilled all the empty places that no other human can. I started loving and appreciating the gifts God gave me and how uniquely made we are in His image.  When we allow ourselves to accept God's love for ourselves, He fills us with so much love that it allows us to pour out His love onto others around us. We have endless love for ourself and others through loving and accepting God's love and sacrifice through Jesus. This is how He designed us. Love your neighbor as yourself, not better than yourself. For the Golden Rule is not a commandment but a statement of fact. Until we love and accept ourselves fully through Jesus, we can't love and accept our neighbor as ourselves either. So let the fullness of God's love pour out onto you, overflowing onto others through His grace and mercy through Jesus Christ.