Self-Esteem

“But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”                                                                                                                                                                I Samuel 16:7

I was talking recently with a client who had concerns about her body image. Many young women (and men) suffer from the sometimes crippling societal expectation that one’s worth is tied to body image. This client is coming to see that she cannot meet the expectations of everyone else, and that she does not need to, in order to be the best “her”.

We discussed the value of working out, not for the sake of her body image, but for the sake of her health, both physically and emotionally. Her value is not in how she looks, but in her intrinsic worth. She is a woman of high character and values, but she has been rejected in relationships, and she is hurting from that.

We discussed the value of accepting first her own sense of worth before basing her worth on the acceptance by others. I reminded her that self-esteem is based upon keeping promises to ourselves first. When we can learn to trust ourselves, our self esteem rises. Then others can see a confident person whose worth is not dependent on the judgment of other people.

God’s view of us is not based upon our appearance, or even our performance. God loves us right where we are, even if we are not yet where we want to be.

So, remember the formula for self-esteem- keep those little promises to yourself. As we keep those little promises, good disciplines grow, and we gain confidence.

That is an attractive quality.     

Prayer: Lord, thank you for accepting us right where we are, Amen