Valentine's Day for some is a time of mixed emotions. If we do not feel love for ourself, receiving it from others may be difficult. Mormons tell how they overcame their inability to feel loved. Some of their ideas appear in this month's issue of the Ensign magazine.
"When I turn my thoughts away from past mistakes and heartaches...and toward Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ," says one, "I am able to progress."
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Another writes, "I was terribly embarrassed about who I was and what I had been in high school—generally rebelling against everyone and everything." He presents two things that help him get past those feelings.
"Part of the pain we feel comes as we recognize how our actions have hurt others," is another entry. "We gain confidence in His love as we seek to make things right with our brothers and sisters here on earth."
The inability to love one's self ripples in widening circles, often to the detriment of family ad associates. Successfully coming to grips with the difficulty may be necessary for our own happiness and the well-being of those around us.
"Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God's love encompasses us completely," says President Deiter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church.
"Regardless of our current state," he continues, "there is hope for us."
Read the full Ensign article here:
Read President Uchtdorf's article, "The Love of God"