Be kind to yourself by loving yourself— what you really are. This love will happify, strengthen, and develop you. This, of course, in no way refers to human self-love and self-glorification but to the real self-interest that is not selfishness, and to the true self-approbation that is not egotism., What we are speaking of is a proper evaluation of the real man—the spiritual identity of you and me—the man that God created to express His perfect nature, and whom He loves and sustains forever.
The Bible commands, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Matt. 19:19; This seems to indicate a proper equality of love, a balanced regard for the identity and rights of others and also of oneself. All are equal in God's sight; all are embraced in His love. Every individual should be seen in this light, and be deeply valued because of it.
However, a wise caution is needed so that a scientific love of one's real selfhood does not degenerate into mere personal sense with its stultifying self-importance. Unless one is alert, being kind to oneself can easily become self-indulgence. Mrs. Eddy writes: "Self-love is more opaque than a solid body. In patient obedience to a patient God, let us labor to dissolve with the universal solvent of Love the adamant of error,—self-will, self-justification, and self-love,—which wars against spirituality and is the law of sin and death." Science and Health, p. 242;
