1 John 4:19 reads, “We love because he first loved us.” We are to love. Do we love God because God loves us.? Do we love “ourself” because God loves us? Do we love others because God loves us. Yes, absolutely. Love originates from God. God is the ultimate source and originator of love. We truly do not understand love until we understand and accept God’s love. God’s love is many things it is unconditional, sacrificial (seen in Jesus) patient, kind, persistent, merciful, forgiving, undeniable, unimaginable, undeserving, encompassing grace, favor, and goodness. God loves us in spite of who and what we are. As we as we learn to accept God’s love, we are able to learn to love and like ourselves and then share our love with others. Matthew 22:36-40a explains this to us, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law? Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” We learn to love, because God first loved us. So let us draw nearer to God. Let us learn to accept God’s love. Let us learn to love ourselves as God does. God Bless. Amen.