To acquire wisdom is to love yourself.
Proverbs 19:8

Loving and forgiving others is a skill that few of us fully perfect. Loving and forgiving oneself is no less of a challenge. Reading in Proverbs today, this Scripture stood out as though I have never run across it before. (I love that about the Word of God – it is alive and active. I can chase it down and never catch it, drink it down and never drain it to the dregs.)  It contains a profound secret: a secret to loving yourself.  Simply put, it is this: learning – growing in our understanding, listening to, reading, and searching for wisdom, polishing our skills and honing our efforts. As we make these investments in our own minds and souls, we are giving ourselves a gracious gift.

Father,

Thank you for the truth of your Word.

Help me, please, to love myself as you have instructed me.

Give me grace to hunger for wisdom,

to look for it in everyday life,

to find the nugget of wisdom in every conversation,

to simply be curious,

to ask the right questions,

to desire the health and growth of my soul,

and to do the hard, tedious work of acquiring skill. 

Amen.