To be able to love others with an unconditional love is something that many of us strive for in our romantic relationships. But, before you can give unconditional love to someone else, you must first learn to love yourself unconditionally.
When I hear women say that they love their partner unconditionally, what they are really saying is that they love their partner more than they love themselves. This usually becomes evident when she accepts unloving behavior from her partner, or she stays in an unhealthy relationship due to her unconditional love for him.
This is not the unconditional love that God intended for you to have. You are only able to love others from a healthy place when you have unconditional love for yourself.
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself.
You cannot love someone else if you first don’t love yourself. When you love someone without first loving yourself, you get a pseudo-love. Something that looks like love, but really isn’t. What it really is a quest for acceptance. A quest for support. A quest for the love that you should be giving to yourself.
Take a step back and practice loving yourself. Literally. Hug yourself. Speak loving words to yourself. Show yourself the same grace and mercy that God shows you. Give yourself good gifts. Comfort yourself. Support yourself. Pray for yourself.
When you love yourself completely and unconditionally, you are then in a place to love someone else completely and unconditionally at the same time. Don’t stop loving yourself just because you’ve decided to love someone else. You can love yourself unconditionally while loving someone else unconditionally.
~SAM
