The first time I heard “Love you lǎo jǐ, see you tomorrow”, I took it as “love you old self”, since lǎo literally means “old” and jǐ means “self”. After asking some younger friends about it, I learned that it was actually an Internet meme from 2025.

The phrase originated from the video game line “Ài ňi, lǎo mā, míngtiān Jiàn.” (“Love you, Mom. See you tomorrow.”) It was later adapted into “Ài ňi, lǎo jǐ”, simply by replacing “mom” with “self”. This playful way of referring oneself quickly went viral.

“Love you lǎo jǐ” conveys a gentle sense of caring for oneself. It speaks to a widespread sense of self-neglect that many people experience in today’s world.

“Lǎo jǐ” has become a nickname for ourselves. It invites us to see ourselves as an old friend who has been by our side all along. The name carries acceptance, compassion, and care. What began as an internet meme has taken on deeper emotional meaning, creating a space for gentle self-healing.

Loving ourselves begins with listening honestly to our hearts. Amid the busyness of life, we often find ourselves caught between relentless competition and the temptation to “lie flat”, gradually losing touch with our own rhythm.

When we feel lost, we need to discern what we truly desire and press the pause button in the busy ministry and daily life, asking ourselves why we are so weary and what our original calling was. That’s crucial to guard our hearts.

The Scripture says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” （Proverbs 4:23)

Staying true to our hearts helps us resist the distractions of the world and grow through inner cultivation.

Loving ourselves requires a deeper level of self-acceptance. As we grow up, we often feel caught in a cycle of being overly hard on ourselves. Yet no one is perfect. What we can do is to be honest with ourselves.

We don’t need to pretend to be someone else. We don’t need to reject who we are. We should accept our appearance, height, and health, neither feeling inferior because of our flaws, nor becoming arrogant because of our strengths.

Accepting imperfection does not mean to slack off, but to break the chains of perfectionism and to allow our souls to breathe and be nourished.

A sister once shared her story with me. As the third girl in the family, she was given to another family from a nearby village only three days after she was born, simply because the family wanted a boy.

The newborn was considered unattractive and was rejected by several families before being accepted by a family who eventually raised her.

She grew with a deep sense of inferiority and always believed that she was not good enough. She saw the fact of being adopted as a source of shame. For years, she felt deeply depressed until she went to church and met the Lord Jesus.

Church members’ care and acceptance became a ray of light shining into her world. Through them, she came to realize that everyone is unique in God’s eyes. Gradually, under the guidance of the Lord and her pastors, she stopped rejecting herself because of outward circumstances and learned to appreciate the strengths God had given her.

Along life’s journey, when we encounter an exhausted “Lǎo Jǐ” -- our weary selves -- we should pause and rest for a while. When “Lǎo Jǐ” feels discouraged, we can remind ourselves “I am already enough, I just need to keep growing.” When “Lǎo Jǐ” becomes anxious, we can take a deep breath and remember that every emotional struggle is an opportunity to understand ourselves more deeply.

We are jars of clay that carry treasures within, yet we also have flaws, weakness, weariness, and times when we stumble. Before God, you don’t need to be perfect: you only need to come with sincerity. Because God sees our struggles and understand our limitations.

Loving ourselves also means embracing the fullness of the life God has given us. We should care for our bodies, souls, and spirits. Good health provides a firm foundation for fulfilling our God-given purpose and suport our spiritual growth.