Peace on earth has to begin within each of you before you, as individuals
or groups, can create a truly lasting peace on earth.
When you're at war with yourselves, you can never be at peace with
your human brothers and sisters.
Many of you were raised in societies and cultures that did not fully
honor the individual human. You were often taught to put others before yourselves. The result of that was, as many humans
are painfully aware, a lack of self-love. And even self-hatred.
As your wonderful Saint Francis said, where there is hatred, sow love.
Sow love for yourselves first and foremost. Self-love and appreciation, and then love and appreciation for others, is the
closest you will ever come in your human lives to seeing life the way your higher selves -- God -- see it.
You will never find peace within, or a way to create it without, if
you do not truly and unconditionally love yourselves.
Love, friends, is the way to peace. The journey to peace must begin
with love. It's truly that simple. Love yourselves first.
Love yourselves wherever you are in your lives, whether you're where
you want to be or not. Just love yourselves and know you've always done the best you could in the present moment. Love yourselves
for having the courage to even venture into physical life on Planet Earth.
Do whatever it takes to love yourselves, bless yourselves, honor and
trust yourselves.
That path will lead to peace and joy within your hearts. That peace
and joy will radiate outward to those immediately around you. Then, like the ripples of a stone thrown into a still pond,
your peace and joy will ripple out to the farthest reaches of the universe.
