Practicing Self-Compassion

In her sermon last Sunday, RiverKids Director Amelia Cunard spoke about how embracing unconditional love of self can help us to become more fully alive. She said this:

"Many people seek to be big, bold, and influential, but true fulfillment comes when we look inward, accepting our limitations, embracing our smallness, and discover the Agape, the unconditional and divine love within us. Aligning with this love leads to a love of self — not in a narcissistic way, but in a healthy and genuine appreciation of our whole self, true, imperfect, uniquely wonderful and peculiar — our true identity. Loving and caring for God’s sheep is a way of participating in divine love — our calling. The commandments: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ and ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’– are interconnected! When you can see your whole self truthfully and love what you see — this is being fully alive! And out of that fullness — love spills out, expanding the Kingdom of God." 


Amelia shared about how extending compassion to her self and being her own best friend — as modeled by Jesus and the friends in her life — has been transformative for her. She shared that:

​"One dark night, I was stuck in self-criticism, unable to let go of guilt and regret over a mistake. Then, a voice inside asked, 'Is this how you would speak to your best friend?' I paused. From that moment on, whenever I felt the urge to be harsh with myself, I stopped and imagined speaking to myself as a best friend would. My tone softened, my words changed — just like how Jesus spoke to Peter, with truth and kindness, not condemnation. I also realized I could be my own best friend because I had wonderful friends who reflect Divine Love and exemplify this for me!"

To help us practice this kind of healthy self-love and self-compassion, we've included some information and tips below.

​We'd love to hear from you. In what ways will you practice being kind to yourself this week? Let us know in the comment section.