Building Self-esteem, God’s Way
Self-esteem has been defined as the evaluation that a person makes of themself in comparison to some standard, or the way they have come to think of themselves habitually. While this has always been a concern for humans throughout history, in our current Western culture, building self-esteem seems to be an obsession. The advertising industry is fueled by taglines selling products to “make you look and feel great about yourself”, and bookshops are lined with books offering self-help remedies and strategies to improve self-confidence. While some remedies are helpful, they are often short-lived, as they do not go to the root of the issue. The Bible, in giving us everything we need for life and godliness, is not silent on the issue of self-esteem, but instead points out some faulty thinking that we tend to naturally gravitate toward. What makes up one’s self-esteem? The areas where people evaluate themselves to derive their self-image tend to fall into four categories. These include: Performance – This relates to what you do; whether it’s in the classroom, on the athletic field, at work, or at home as a parent with children. This category relates to abilities and how good we are at performing the various roles in our lives. Background – People naturally tend to use “pedigree” as an evaluation category for building self-esteem. This could be where you were born and the wealth of your family, which school or college you studied at, or even which sports team you support. This element gives a source of belonging or pride (or the opposite, depending on one’s evaluation). Acceptability – This is how we feel about our relationships with family members and friends, and concerns how lovable we feel. This is an area where one’s upbringing and past can have a direct impact [...]
