Seeing ourselves as we really are

Although the title and frequent use of the term 'self-esteem' is somewhat misleading, for I think there is a difference between low self-esteem and godly humility, here's a snippet from an article by TGC which I think highlights what is often wrong with my own view of self and key Bible figures...

'None of us has a problem with low self-esteem. Scripture tells us we were born with the opposite issue. We all think of ourselves as a little more pretty, a little more talented, a little more worthy, and a little more deserving of just about everything in this life. Far from having naturally broken hearts, our hearts are naturally bloated with the calories of self-consumption and filled with obscene levels of self-obsession. We've been taught that there's nothing more valuable than how much we value ourselves.'

For those who do struggle with low self-esteem and even depression, I appreciate that this doesn't sound exactly comforting.  But isn't this often the emphasis of much counselling and what is thought to be psychologically wrong with people, namely that they do not value themselves enough?  True, we need a realistic evaluation of ourselves.  Humility is not disdain for self but actual appreciation, even love, of the self as God intended the individual to be.  As Christians, our self is that which is being renewed to ressemble more the character of Christ, so yes, we can love that.  The difficulty today, however, is that there is so much emphasis placed upon valuing ourselves that we can end up destroying whatever hope those with real problems of self-esteem have by telling them that the power to 'be' valuable and 'be' something rests wholly upon themselves. 

'...God takes sometimes horrific, drastic measures to destroy our self-esteem. We're not told much about the personal pain Moses and Joseph experienced. We're not told of the sleepless nights spent in isolation, gripped by emotional despondency while grasping hopelessly in the dark, trying to fathom why God was doing this and whether he was even there. In hindsight, we tend to view these figures as emboldened, courageous, pillars of the faith, but it's foolishness to think that their responses were any less weak and human than ours would be. But we see a God that uses very human experiences to change the hearts of human vessels. And it hurts.'



from TGC: The Beauty of Low Self-Esteem

'If we hope to experience deep and lasting relationships as intended by God, love must be understood as an action more than a feeling.'


Read the rest here