"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you."

While running on the beautiful island of Kauai recently, I spotted a local artist diligently working on a sand sculpture. I was so taken by her uncommon use of detail that I departed from my normal policy of never stop for anything and paused just long enough to take in the full breadth of her work. I was awe struck. It was truly the work of a master.

"How do you come up with such beautiful art," I asked.

"Let me answer that question with a new twist on the words of Michelangelo," she replied. "The sculpture already lies within the pile of sand. My job is to simply remove the excess sand that surrounds the creation. God already created the sculpture. It's already perfect and complete. I just let its light shine."

So it is with life, I thought. Each of us is born perfect and complete. We are God's creation. We need only love the one we're with—ourselves—for who and what we are. Yet, how many of us understand this? Instead, we seem to fear our true power—a power that was given to us by the Creator for the purpose of manifesting our own destiny. The greater our fear, the more time we waste trying to improve what was already perfect on the day we were born. We falsely place our faith in others, on things outside ourselves, instead of seeking the answers where they truly lie—within our own hearts. Our truth gets buried under a mound of sand.

We humans have the distinction of being the only species on the planet that, depending on our mood, may or may not choose to love ourselves. Ever known a squirrel that didn't like himself and wished he were a cat? Or, how about a cow with such low self esteem that he committed suicide. But here's the funny part—whether we choose to love ourselves as perfect creations, designed in God's image or see ourselves as dirty rotten scoundrels, we're right. The choice is ours and will ultimately determine our destiny. As we think, so we become.

Loving ourselves can at first seem, well, a little difficult. Many of us were raised in religious households (I said religious, not spiritual—big difference!) where we were taught that we humans are flawed individuals created in sin. That somehow we are not worthy of love from anyone including ourselves.

But, it seems to me, that to love ourselves—to be comfortable with who we are—is to understand that we were created in love not sin. God is love and since He created us, we too are love. In the eyes of the universe, you have nothing to prove. From womb to tomb and beyond, you are perfect just being you, just the way you are. Can you imagine how different the world would be if we all understood this? What would we need to own? Why would we ever go to war? Who would we need to impress?

Whenever we are unable to love ourselves or someone else, we have likely allowed fear to replace love as the driving force in our lives. As time goes on, we allow all of our decisions to be based on fear. After a while, we forget what love really feels like. We spend so much time in a fearful state that fear becomes our only motivation. We want to love ourselves but the fear of our own power frightens us. So we distance ourselves from our true desires and believe that somehow we are unworthy. Fear wins and love loses. We hand over our power to someone else.

Jesus, Buddha and other enlightened masters were different from the rest of us in one important way-love was all they knew. Every decision they made, every action they took was based on love not fear. Love was the truth that set them free because love eliminated fear from every facet of their lives. With fear removed, they were free to love themselves and others at the level that God intended. Because love rather than fear drove them, they were able to accomplish great things—things that we are all capable of doing once we learn to remove fear and love ourselves. Jesus himself said that we would do everything He did and more. Few of us took Him seriously. Perhaps more of us should.

Fear is very easy to spot. It can be seen when we choose to judge others instead of extending compassion. It can be found in disrespect, intolerance and insensitivity. Whenever we attempt to be understood before we attempt to understand, we are acting out of fear. Most of the world runs on fear. If you've ever watched the nightly news, you know what I mean. If fear were replaced with love, most, if not all of the world's problems would be solved. Hatred, the result of fear, dies when love prevails.

Love of self is a direct reflection of our ability to set fear aside, forgive and surrender. We must learn to trust the force that moves the universe and take our hands off the handlebars. The result is faith. Faith in ourselves and faith in others ultimately leads to a state of bliss that eliminates fear and keeps us on the path of light. When we surrender, we say to the universe "I trust you." It is in our trusting that we are able to manifest our destiny and become our highest gift.

By trusting the universe and suspending our need to judge, we are able to forgive both ourselves and others. We learn that everything, including ourselves, is just as it is suppose to be. We begin to understand that the universe does not make mistakes. For thousands of years, God heard our payers for a better world and He sent help. He sent you. Take it seriously. Learn to love yourself and allow your unique light to illuminate the darkest corners of the world. Don't fear your own power; embrace it.

Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as yourself.' The underlying assumption here is that we must first love ourselves—a lot! After all, if we hated ourselves and then loved our neighbors in the same way, what good would that do? They would only retaliate and hate us back. The next thing you know, they would hire a Realtor, put their house on the market and just move away.

Some Things To Consider

How often do you let your light shine? Are you playing small in the arena of life or living up to your highest gift—your full potential? Are there things about yourself that you just don't like? Why? Learn to embrace your godliness and love yourself; for it is within yourself that God can be found. Pamper yourself with kindness. Go get a massage. If you can afford to, get one every week!

All Rights Reserved © 2002 By Jeffrey Alan Hall