Before we have a gospel for others, we must know the gospel intimately for ourselves.
What this means is that we must be capable of loving ourselves when we are our own enemy. We must be capable of extending grace to ourselves when we are what we most detest and after we make mistakes. We must possess the ability to extend acceptance toward ourselves when we feel the most ashamed.
When we are honest, the gospel is hard enough to extend to ourselves, let alone others. For some, spreading the word about the love of God to strangers in the streets is easier than extending the gospel to themselves in their own mirror... Let alone, in their worst moments.
It’s so easy to forget, but Jesus’ message of inclusivity, simple living, compassion, and possessing a love for one's enemy is for your soul too.
It’s a gospel worth preaching daily to yourself:
You no longer need to be at war with your heart. You belong. Even when you fail and lie and cheat, you still are not left out or too broken or too imperfect for an embrace.
If the gospel is for anyone, it's for you.