If You Know Yourself, You Know Love

Theologian and Philosopher Meister Eckhart once said, “A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don’t know ourselves.” In other words, humans don’t explore inward as much as they should. Instead, some of us are only searching for answers outside of ourselves. 

Eckhart’s message has deeply resonated with me ever since I read a few of his excerpts in a Theology book a few years ago. Although he lived around the 1200s-1300s, time clearly has not erased his observations. To this day, we are still searching for the knowledge of so many different things, but too many of us are neglecting our hearts. We want to know so much, but we don’t dig deep to learn about who we are. In turn, we don’t get to know love either.

Too many people are trying to know love before figuring out who they are. They search and search for someone who can give them love, but they don’t know enough about themselves. They haven’t spent the time to figure out the corners of their hearts. Of course we can’t know every single part of ourselves, because we grow daily. However, we can spend the time to learn about our wants, what we need, what fulfills us, our flaws, our love, and so much more. The closer we get to knowing ourselves, the closer we get to knowing love. 

Love lives inside of you. It lives inside of me. It lives inside of every single one of us. When you spend time getting to know yourself, you learn more about love. The love that lives inside of you is unique and beautiful. Those who have spent time being introspective have learned this. When you know your own heart, you discover that internal love and you aren’t searching for a love outside of you to fill you. You aren’t looking to fill voids. You are searching for someone who matches the love that you possess.

I’ve come to learn that if I know myself, I know love. I won’t stay in anything that isn’t love. I have so much love inside of me that it makes me uncomfortable being a part of anything that doesn’t come with love. Knowing myself and knowing love has also made me recognize what love isn’t. It has made me realize the value that I bring. In turn, I do not settle for anything less than what I deserve: love.

I hope that you will spend the time to get to know yourself on a deep level. I promise that you’ll find yourself knowing love more, too.