Love Ourselves First

We can get so caught up intrying to fix other people'sproblems, that
we forget to fix ourselves. We can spend all our time helping family
members, running around, "sacrificing", whileour own souls are weary,
discouraged and approaching despair. We can champion important causes,
or do vital work in our jobs, while we cover up or ignore wounds from
our past, until we cannot even look at ourselves with respect or love.
I suppose we all have our coping mechanisms. For me, it's martial
arts. When I'm troubled or unhappy, I tend to immerse myself in my
martial arts practice. It occupies my mind, allows me to forget my
problems,and wears out my body soI can sleep.
Others may plunge themselves into their work, or distract themselves
with books, music or television, or busy themselves with other
people's problems. But you can only keep this up for so long. If you
don't face what's going on internally, the darkness will eventually
spread and blot everything else out.
We have to come to terms with ourselves, or happiness will elude us forever.
How can we love and cherish others if we do notlove ourselves? How can
we extend ourselves to create something good in the world, if what we
haveinside is not sound and peaceful? How can we raise happy children
if we are not happy? Children are very perceptive; if you are troubled
and hurt inside, they will pick up onthat, and it will affect them. If
you really want tolove your children properly, you need to make peace
with your own soul.
Sometimes there are so many distractions in our lives, so much
external noise, that we can't hear our own hearts anymore. We need to
quiet our minds and get back in touch with our fitrah, that pure
nature given to us by Allah. We need to ask Allah's forgiveness, then
forgive ourselves, so that we can get rid of the baggage of shame.
Only then can we then forgive others, and let go of anger or
resentment.
We must listen to our intuition, and hear our hearts speaking, and
open ourselves to the clear light of Allah's huda (guidance).