Determining Your Worth: Is Self-Esteem Biblical?

How do you see yourself? Are you worth it? These are questions our culture asks on a regular basis. My preschool daughters are constantly receiving messages through media about the importance of a strong self-esteem and how we should believe in ourselves. But is it scriptural to “believe in yourself?”

 

Determining Your Worth: Is Self-Esteem Biblical? | alyssajhoward.com

 

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Let me pose an interesting question: When it comes to retail, how is the price of an item determined? If I were to drive to the mall right now and purchase a shirt, how much would I pay? Well, it would depend on a lot of factors. Am I purchasing this shirt from a high-end store or a store known for its “good deals?” Is the shirt on sale or on clearance maybe? How well-made is it? Is it casual or dressy?

Here’s the bottom line: The shirt would cost whatever someone was willing to pay for it.

When clothes move to the clearance rack, it’s because they need to lower the price so that someone will actually buy it. Maybe the shirt isn’t in style anymore or perhaps it’s out of season. Or it simply didn’t sell for one reason or another.

 

Now let me ask you another question: How much are you worth?

 

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

 

Jesus paid everything for you with no guarantee that you would accept His gift of salvation – that’s how much you are worth.

 

Have you ever paid more for something because it was a name-brand? Maybe you paid twice as much for a designer purse simply because it had the name of a famous designer on it. This may seem like a silly analogy, but it couldn’t be truer.

You were designed by God and created in His image. You are adorned with the logo of your Creator. Do you understand how valuable that makes you?

 

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. – Psalm 139:13-15

 

In the church, we are often taught that good self-esteem equals pride and that low self-esteem equals humility, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus didn’t die for your sins and bless you with every spiritual blessing so that you could wallow in how sinful you used to be. We see ourselves as so unworthy, but the truth is that God doesn’t see you that way. We are His beloved children, and He longs to see us reach our potential. He wants to see us thrive and be the people He created us to be.

 

If God sees us as valuable, loved,  and cherished sons and daughters, why do we choose to see ourselves as anything less?

 

I think in our attempt to be humble, we’ve made ourselves worthless. But that’s not humility. Yes, we recognize our need for a Savior, but that doesn’t mean we beat ourselves up and put ourselves down. You were once a slave to sin with a corrupt heart. But even in that state, God still saw you as valuable enough to die for… you were lost… but never worthless.

It’s all about putting things in perspective. You are valuable because you were designed in His image. God made you worthy of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, and He did this before you cleaned up your act. You have been declared righteous and washed clean by the blood of the Lamb.

 

So let’s stop seeing ourselves as we used to be, and start seeing ourselves the way Jesus did when He looked at us and said, “You’re worth it.”

 

Click here for a full list of posts in this 31-day series!

 

New Bible Study: Renewed and Transformed | alyssajhoward.com

 

Determining Your Worth: Is Self-Esteem Biblical? | alyssajhoward.com

 

 

*Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

**Photo by Andreas Selter on Unsplash

 

 


 

 

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