Loving Yourself More: 101 Meditations on Self-Esteem for Women

The introduction to Loving Yourself More describes a conversation among members of a women's prayer group discussing loving neighbors as self. The dialogue concludes with two major insights. First, loving others as we love ourselves intertwines with loving others as we are loved by God. Second, meditating on God's complete unconditional love for us as individuals and community is a good start toward healthy self-love. Froehle, an internationally know retreat leader, has written these 101 mediations on self-esteem for women to help us along the way. The meditations are divided into five chapters: I am chosen, God promises good to me, God's love and faithfulness enfold me, God's mercy cleanses me, and God strengthens me. Each meditation consists of a bible passage, a brief "starter" reflection by the author, and a one-line prayer to help sustain the meditation throughout the day. Some meditations provide special helps for absorbing the message, as writing or speaking a word or phrase, selecting a symbol, or performing a physical motion. The language accommodates a spectrum of images of God from masculine to feminine to gender neutral. An example from the last chapter on gaining strength from God deals with bold women. Hebrews 4:16 is the scripture. The reflection addresses society's discomfort with bold women and encourages us to invite the spirits of Mary Magdalene, Dorothy Day, and others to be with us. Froehle suggests we envision an elevator taking us deeply inside ourselves. We exit through an ornate door to face our greatest need and take it back up in the elevator with us. "When you open the elevator, see before you the throne or the light of God. Bring your need boldly before God expecting the mercy promised you," she writes. The closing prayer is I come boldly before you.