When I was a kid I was like every other kid I knew. I spent most of my time, running, hanging out with friends, riding bikes, and playing ball. I had several really close friends and we loved to go to church events together. Nearly every friend I had was part of the Church and it was great to be able to be so close to so many good Christian people. On top of having great friends I had a wonderful support system all around me. My family supported me in everything that I did and they tried to make sure that God was the number one thing in all our lives. To say it simply, I was blessed. Compared to the circumstances that so many people have to go through in life, my life was care free. Looking back on my life, I was so naïve when I was young and I just did not realize how blessed I was.
While I can look back on my life and truly appreciate the blessings now, back then I really struggled. I went through periods of low self-esteem and my confidence continually wavered. My self-image was based on how I saw myself and how I thought other people saw me. The problem was I did not see myself with clear eyes. I focused entirely on perceived flaws and made the assumption that others saw only those same flaws in me. I sought happiness in other people and my obsession became being accepted. I thought that I could make other people like me through gifts, compliments and by giving in to their every wish. My happiness became contingent upon validation from other people. I was lost.
Confidence and self-esteem issues are very prevalent in our world today. Many people struggle with a lack of confidence and really low self-esteem. Others struggle with over-confidence and pride. Our issues with confidence and self-esteem affect both our physical and spiritual lives. These issues come from a lack of understanding of God, and a lack of understanding of mankind as His creation. We have been made in the image of God and we are His very good creation. (Genesis 1:27-31). Our God made us to be individuals with free will. As individuals we have distinct and specific talents, likes, and interests. We have been fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14). We may not be as talented as somebody is in one area but in another area we may have great talent. Sometimes we are going to be strong. Other times we are going to be weak. By ourselves we will never be perfect. We sin, have short comings, and make many mistakes. (Romans 3:23). We should not think more highly of ourselves than we should, but at the same time we are not to think of ourselves as lowly and without worth. We have great worth and we are to think soberly about our position before the Lord, as His special creation. (Romans 12:3).
As we look into the Word of God we see a loving God that has provided His creation a way back from sin and in to His marvelous light. For those outside of Christ there is need to repent, change the way we are living, and have our sins washed away in baptism. (Acts 2:38). Even after we are Christians our sins can be forgiven when we confess, repent, and change our life to imitate Christ. (1 John 1:9). When we do what the Lord has asked us to do we can be confident in our salvation and in so much more. God is our confidence for this life and the next. True confidence does not come from this world, other people, and cannot really even come from just within ourselves. Confidence and self-esteem come from the Lord and our knowledge and acceptance of who He is, what He has done, and what He is still doing for us all. In a gospel meeting I recently attended I heard Brother Eric Owens speak on the topic of self-esteem. Brother Owens made this remark in regards to self-esteem. “God-esteem over self-esteem.” That statement has been in my mind over the past couple of months and I really think it can help us all in our struggles with confidence and self-esteem. Do you struggle with pride and arrogance? Do you struggle with confidence and low self-esteem? Know God, love God. Know self, love self.
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