Mark Your Calendars
(events are located at the church, unless listed otherwise)
Choir practice--each Wed @ 6:45pm and Sun @ 9:45am
FOCUS mailing party--Wed, Feb 1 @ 1100
MDD Young Adult Ministry Conference--Sat, Feb 4 @ 9am at Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, CO
Great Decisions--Sat, Feb 4 @ 1pm
Family Promise Rotation-Sun, Jan 29 - Sun, Feb 5
Harvest the Power Leadership Training--Thurs, Jan 26 @ 6pm
Harvest the Power Leadership Training--Thurs, Feb 9 @ 6pm
Mindful Monday Meditation--Mon, Feb 13 @ 6pm
Interfaith Speed Dating Potluck--Tues, Feb 14 @ 6pm
Great Decisions--Sat, Feb 18 @ 1pm
COMEA Shelter dinner--Sat, Feb 18 @ 5:30pm
Harvest the Power Leadership Training--Sat, Feb 25 @ 9am
Great Decisions--Sat, Feb 25 @ 1pm
Path to Membership Classs--Sat, Mar 3 @ 9am
Great Decisions--Sat, Mar 3 @ 1pm
Great Decisions--Sat, Mar 10 @ 1pm
UUCC Service Auction--Sat, Mar 10 @ 5pm
Great Decisions--Sat, Mar 17 @ 1pm
Great Decisions--Sat, Mar 24 @ 1pm
UUCC Stewardship Campaign/2nd International Food Festival/Talent Show--Sun, Mar 25
Family Promise Rotation-Sun, Apr 1 - Sun, Apr 8
Earth Day Clean-up Pizza Party--Sun, Apr 22 @ 12 noon
May Day--Tues, May 1 @ 6pm
From Our Minister
“Self-Love”
“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” Jesus told us a couple of thousands of years ago. We always seem to focus on the neighbor in that equation, but I would like to point out, that if one does not love oneself, one doesn’t have love to give to a neighbor or anyone else!
Many of us don’t want to admit it, but we have lived a lifetime of self-disregard and self-disrespect even to the point of self-loathing. Too often we treat the people around us far better than we treat ourselves. I understand; I do this dance too.
In fact, I’ll bet this topic is making some of us uncomfortable. Many of us are willing to entertain the notion of loving many, many things, but no ourselves. Why is this? The reasons are many and varied, but religious teachings and outdated family systems have been contributing factors, to be sure. If a belief isn’t life-affirming and life-supporting and life-giving, then perhaps it is time to let it go. We let go of many other beliefs; perhaps this one is ready to go too.
Just to be clear, I am not encouraging selfishness or self-centeredness! On the contrary, when we feel good about ourselves, we have much more of ourselves to give. And the giving that we do then comes from a healthy place of confidence and self-worth. Nor am I advocating that we ignore our self-critic. Sometimes it guides us in the wisest of ways. It is our penchant for believing illogically untrue and mean-spirited things about ourselves that runs us down and impairs our ability to fully and freely live.
The cost of our self-denigration is profound, yet we often don’t realize it. Negative thoughts and feelings about oneself can cause psychological, physical, and even spiritual health issues. The pain and suffering that we experience from our personal denigration affects every aspect of our lives and the lives of those around us. Perhaps what Jesus was trying to explain is that no matter what state we are in, we will pass it on to all of those around us, so we might as well choose the highest state of love, which transforms us, and the world around us. Doing the work to heal our self-concept is worth the effort.
I encourage you to look deeply into your own lives so you can see exactly how this is working. These inward self-reflections hold jewels of insight that we can use to help us heal. These “old tapes & old messages” in our brains that no longer serve us, can be used to guide us and teach us how to let them go. The tools for this work can be found in doing spiritual practices. Group therapies or individual therapy are also helpful for processing these old issues.
Overall, Unitarian Universalists are much more concerned with salvation in the here and now, during this lifetime. We are great at helping others, but let’s not forget that salvation, just like love, must begin within ourselves first. As I encounter so many different people from day to day, I see how pervasive the issue of lacking self-worth impacts our lives. Consider this, it is a little crazy if we want to help all of those around us, and they want to help us, but we won’t take the time and effort to help ourselves. There is only one person that can change each of us, and that is ourselves. No one else can do the work, and we can’t do the work for others either.
Our thoughts and feelings shape our actions and thus our reality. In one-way or another, we tend to get what we expect. We do have the power to change our reality, so let’s begin with the gift of self-love that each of us so richly deserves. I wish for you, and send you great big love.
With Love,
Rev. Dana Lightsey
