Read Mark 12:28-34; Deuteronomy 6:4-5; and Leviticus 19:18.  Life is full of surprises both good and bad and sometimes they can literally change the direction of your life. However, when you discover Jesus for the first time everything changes. It wasn’t unlike this Scripture story when Jesus literally changed prevailing thought on how important it is to love your neighbor as yourself. By putting this command in the top two of all of God’s commands you too must prioritize this action in your life!

• Name a childhood ‘surprise’ that really changed your life or life direction.
• What do you think it means practically to love your neighbor as yourself?

What does it mean to love your neighbor and can you do that effectively without really loving yourself? The first answer is your neighbor is anyone you see in need, and the second answer is no. Having a dislike for yourself or having an unhealthy perspective will keep you from loving both God and others. So the first thing you need to do is become emotionally healthy. Jesus was himself emotionally healthy, able to shed tears in sorry and be filled with joy. He also grieved, got mad, and showed astonishment and wonder, but he did so appropriately because he knew who he was.

• Do you feel like you love yourself?  Why or Why Not?
• Do you think of Jesus as more unemotional & stoic or emotionally full of life?  Explain.
• What generally makes you emotionally numb?  How do you restore yourself?

Read Psalm 51:1-12. Loving yourself also means looking beneath the surface to better understand why you do what you do. To do so however, means you must slow down from your hectic fast pace world and take some time to get below the visible 10% to the invisible 90%. When you do the hard work of taking a close look inside and give God permission to work, tear, transform and heal you, God will. The key is to begin taking Sabbaths, slowing down, and being still before God.

• How do you generally process what is going on mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in the depths of your being?
• Do you regularly take a Sabbath and slow down or live at a frantic pace 24/7?  How has slowing down helped you in the past?

Read Galatians 6:3-4. Finally, loving yourself calls for brutal honesty. When you don’t love yourself as God loves, it’s nearly impossible to give yourself to relationships. And the way you love God is revealed in how you love people.  When you look at the core of your being don’t be afraid to unpeel the layers, being honest, authentic and vulnerable. When you do so God will be able to do the transforming work you need.

• Are you normally willing to take a hard look inside yourself? What scares you about that?
• How often do you do a self evaluation of your life and actions? How has God been able to transform you through that process?
• Will you commit to allowing God to start helping you look at the 90% of you beneath the surface?
• What next step will you take to slow down and allow God to transform some of your stuff?