Michele G
This is an all true reality of how things are for me in my life. I know everyone has a story but for me it is really hard for me to open up about things because I have been hurt. Yes by people who have told stories about me, my husband, my family. Yes people who have shared things about me that aren't true or have said things out of spite or out of context.  Also, I have just been hurt by things that have just happened to me and I am scared to share.  I don't want to be judged.  I don't want people I guess to know the real me and walk away.  People are so hard on people and I don't want the things in my life that I have lived through and going through to be even more painful because I decide to open my heart and share with someone.  The thought of that pain just isn't worth it to me some days.  I have already lost to many people in my life I don't want to lose anymore because of things I decide to share.

Michele G
These days I have been thinking can what can we do or what is the best thing to love ourselves or others?  If we actually love ourselves, first we would feel the need to not judge, compare, or criticize others.  How often do you feel or hear of someone being mean to someone else?  How often do you say " Well, it's just because they are insecure" or " They may be intimidated by you"?  Well I think this or hear this from my husband all the time.  Really it is hard to hear or think these things when you know that others do these things to others everyday.  We give these answers to help give perspective and to try to help make us feel better or to make us feel right about a situation.  
 I have to ask myself everyday would a woman who is loved and who God made her to be treat others in a mean way?  Probably not. I feel that just like Christ's example that we are not suppose to leave others out, make them feel bad, that there is no need to make yourself feel better than someone else.  I feel that we are to love others no matter what their shape, size, color, disability, or anything.  We are to love all because we were all made in Christ's image.  
The sad reality to life is that we don't do this. People don't follow this and they do judge others. This really hurts people and is a huge reason that we don't have many close relationships or trust people. When we can't love ourselves and love others as Christ loved us then we are not following his word.  When we don't we hurt the ones we want in our lives, the ones we have in our lives, and the ones we love.  
So, I think we should do whatever work we need to do, counseling, support groups, time in prayer, to figure out how to accept and love ourselves as the beautifully unique women God has made us to be. When we put God as the center of our lives and follow his example we will start to learn to love others and ourselves.