We will know ourselves if we love ourselves. Loving ourselves means being true to the reality of who we are, and it is the saving Truth Jesus spoke of: "and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).

Love is a vital part of our self-knowledge and self-realization. That's why Paul emphatically prayed:

"...that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height,
and to know the love of Christ which is passes knowledge,
that you might be filled with all the fullness of God".
Ephesians 3:17-19

First, let us notice that according to this passage, divine love "passes knowledge". In other words, it is above human understanding. I often say, our problem is that our spiritual shortsightedness. Our notions of God's love and God's justice reflect our limited understanding. But divine love is infinitely higher and deeper than all of our concepts.

Paul speaks of "being rooted and grounded in love". Love is meant for our nourishment. It feeds us, sustains us, and makes us fruitful - so that we might be channels of love in our world.

We are unconditionally and eternally loved. Seeming imperfections and failures cannot ever separate us from God. Step by step, we will outgrow things we might dislike about ourselves - and will reach "all the fullness of God".

This is the reason why we need to love ourselves, which implies embracing all parts of our being. When we reject or resent certain parts of ourselves, we oppose God's love, and it cannot accomplish its perfect work in us and through us. Harsh judgment of ourselves prevents us from seeing divine power and divine purpose in certain aspects of our life - and to reach wholeness. Harsh judgment puts us down, makes us discouraged and weak in situations where we mostly need power and inspiration to do the necessary inner work.

Openness to love might be also called nonresistance.

Now, the teaching of Jesus about nonresistance was misjudged and misunderstood for ages. Many of strong and self-willed individuals thought that it promote powerlessness and resignation. They despised it as a poor self-justification of those who aren't able to defend themselves. But this distorted mental image of nonresistance, of course, have nothing to do with reality.

"The essence of nonresistance is unity. You are not isolated form the rest of the universe. You are an indispensable part of the universe, and as such the universe loves, protects, and cherishes you. In so caring for you the universe is self-preserving. You are safe. You are inconceivably valuable. Nothing opposes you. You are in the midst of friends", wrote Imelda Shanklin.

So, paraphrasing Jesus we may say: "Do not resist that which seems to be evil. Nonresistance will lead you to the realization that there is no evil". There is no evil in the world, and there is no evil in you. Everything which exists, contains the seed of divine goodness. Everything which exists, is of God. "All things came into being through God, and without God not even one thing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:3).

Nonresistance means "judging the right judgment". We see love in all people and circumstances, and act in order to bring that love to the surface.

Certain experiences come to us as lessons - but they are still lessons of love. Even if they are unpleasant, we need to receive them with gratitude, for they will lead us to greater good. But if we resist divine lessons, they are repeated over and over until the course of our education is completed. If we treat something as a problem, mental resistance toward it will only reinforce it. But if we consider the same thing as an opportunity, our nonresistance will unfold divine potential in that thing and in ourselves.

When we manifest love, love is manifested toward us. As we radiate, we attract. Being non-resistant, we are not victims. We are able to defend our dignity and our rights. It is better accomplished not through hate and resentment, but as a natural outflow of our inner power and confidence.