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Blessed to Be Me
by John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation
When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus responded immediately by quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind—and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37–39)
In this message, we’re focusing on the second part: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
This raises an important question: How can we love others well if we don’t first understand how to love ourselves?
Let’s be clear—this isn’t an invitation to selfishness or self-centeredness. Instead, it’s about recognizing the true foundation of your identity: you are made in the image of God.
Before you are male or female, short or tall, Hispanic, white, Black, Asian, or anything else...
Before you are athletic, smart, artistic, musical, funny, driven, or talented...
You are first and foremost an image-bearer of God.
This truth is foundational. When we accept this, we begin to understand what it really means to be loved. Not based on what we do or who we are in the eyes of others, but simply because we are God’s creation.
When you truly embrace this identity, you begin to see yourself through the eyes of God—perfectly loved and perfectly accepted. And as we grow in our acceptance of being known and loved by God, we become more able to love others with that same unconditional love.
This is a profound and freeing truth. It doesn’t puff us up with pride, but it fills us with gratitude. It frees us from the need for constant validation and comparison because we already have everything we need in Him.
It allows each of us to say—not with arrogance, but with deep gratitude: “I’m blessed to be me.”
When you know who you are in Christ, you can love others as Christ loves you. You can give love freely, without needing to take anything back in return; you can truly love your neighbor as yourself.
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When asked to name the greatest commandment, Jesus responded immediately by quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind—and love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37–39)
In this message, we’re focusing on the second part: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
This raises an important question: How can we love others well if we don’t first understand how to love ourselves?
Let’s be clear—this isn’t an invitation to selfishness or self-centeredness. Instead, it’s about recognizing the true foundation of your identity: you are made in the image of God.
Before you are male or female, short or tall, Hispanic, white, Black, Asian, or anything else...
Before you are athletic, smart, artistic, musical, funny, driven, or talented...
You are first and foremost an image-bearer of God.
This truth is foundational. When we accept this, we begin to understand what it really means to be loved. Not based on what we do or who we are in the eyes of others, but simply because we are God’s creation.
When you truly embrace this identity, you begin to see yourself through the eyes of God—perfectly loved and perfectly accepted. And as we grow in our acceptance of being known and loved by God, we become more able to love others with that same unconditional love.
This is a profound and freeing truth. It doesn’t puff us up with pride, but it fills us with gratitude. It frees us from the need for constant validation and comparison because we already have everything we need in Him.
It allows each of us to say—not with arrogance, but with deep gratitude: “I’m blessed to be me.”
When you know who you are in Christ, you can love others as Christ loves you. You can give love freely, without needing to take anything back in return; you can truly love your neighbor as yourself.
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.