you—willingly dying on the cross—paying the penalty for your sins. He loves you that much! Your true worth is not based on anything you have done or will do, but on what Jesus has already done . Without a doubt, He established your worth. You were worth His life. You were worth dying for.
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9–10)
WHAT IS Self-Esteem?
In Dorie’s younger years, not one person valued her; no one found pleasure in her, and she found favor with no one. Since no one esteemed her, she had no sense of self-esteem. She could easily see which of the other children were treated with value and, as a result, felt valuable themselves. Her sister was one of these highly favored ones. 6
What makes you feel good about yourself? Do you consider your opinions worthy of consideration? Do you expect others to respect your boundaries, or do you hold yourself in such low esteem that you do not establish and maintain healthy boundaries—boundaries that line up with God’s purpose for your life? The Bible says ...
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
To esteem means “to set a high value on .” 7
“ To esteem ” is a translation of the Hebrew hasab , which means “to consider, plan, reckon, or think over.” 8
To have self-esteem is to respect or have high regard for yourself. 9
“He [Messiah] was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
Q UESTION: “Why do some people prefer not to focus on self-esteem—but only on self-worth?”
A NSWER: The word self-esteem actually has two different meanings that are opposite to each other.
The first is an objective regard of your value which the Bible refers to as humility . This self-worth is rooted in the recognition of your sins and your need for the Savior, recognition of your need to live dependently on Him, and of the fact that Christ established your worth by dying for you.
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)
The second kind of self-esteem is an exaggerated regard of your value which the Bible refers to as pride . This self-esteem is rooted in the idea that you are “good enough” within yourself to meet your own needs and therefore you do not need to live dependently on the Savior. Your worth is established by your “inherent goodness” and “personal accomplishments.” But the Bible says, “Do not be arrogant ... Do not be proud ... Do not be conceited.” (Romans 11:20; 12:16)
In the Bible, God presents these two types of “self-esteem” in sharp contrast to one another.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
WHAT IS an Inferiority Complex?
How could Dorie not feel inferior when for years she was continuously treated as inferior? Emblazoned in her memory are scenes of her mother tucking her sister into bed saying, “Marie is a pretty girl—she’s not like you.” Then after tenderly kissing Marie, she would callously walk past Dorie. 10
Repeated times of rejection are the building blocks of an inferiority complex. Someone with such low self-worth could easily think, “Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery” (Psalm 31:11–12).
An inferiority complex 11 is a painful, debilitating feeling of being less valuable than others.
Inferior means less valued than others.
A complex is a group of beliefs based on the past that has a powerful influence on present behavior.
An inferiority complex is an acute sense of low self-worth, which has two very different results:
Fearfully timid attitudes and
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9–10)
WHAT IS Self-Esteem?
In Dorie’s younger years, not one person valued her; no one found pleasure in her, and she found favor with no one. Since no one esteemed her, she had no sense of self-esteem. She could easily see which of the other children were treated with value and, as a result, felt valuable themselves. Her sister was one of these highly favored ones. 6
What makes you feel good about yourself? Do you consider your opinions worthy of consideration? Do you expect others to respect your boundaries, or do you hold yourself in such low esteem that you do not establish and maintain healthy boundaries—boundaries that line up with God’s purpose for your life? The Bible says ...
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
To esteem means “to set a high value on .” 7
“ To esteem ” is a translation of the Hebrew hasab , which means “to consider, plan, reckon, or think over.” 8
To have self-esteem is to respect or have high regard for yourself. 9
“He [Messiah] was despised, and we esteemed him not.” (Isaiah 53:3)
Q UESTION: “Why do some people prefer not to focus on self-esteem—but only on self-worth?”
A NSWER: The word self-esteem actually has two different meanings that are opposite to each other.
The first is an objective regard of your value which the Bible refers to as humility . This self-worth is rooted in the recognition of your sins and your need for the Savior, recognition of your need to live dependently on Him, and of the fact that Christ established your worth by dying for you.
“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2)
The second kind of self-esteem is an exaggerated regard of your value which the Bible refers to as pride . This self-esteem is rooted in the idea that you are “good enough” within yourself to meet your own needs and therefore you do not need to live dependently on the Savior. Your worth is established by your “inherent goodness” and “personal accomplishments.” But the Bible says, “Do not be arrogant ... Do not be proud ... Do not be conceited.” (Romans 11:20; 12:16)
In the Bible, God presents these two types of “self-esteem” in sharp contrast to one another.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (1 Peter 5:5)
WHAT IS an Inferiority Complex?
How could Dorie not feel inferior when for years she was continuously treated as inferior? Emblazoned in her memory are scenes of her mother tucking her sister into bed saying, “Marie is a pretty girl—she’s not like you.” Then after tenderly kissing Marie, she would callously walk past Dorie. 10
Repeated times of rejection are the building blocks of an inferiority complex. Someone with such low self-worth could easily think, “Because of all my enemies, I am the utter contempt of my neighbors; I am a dread to my friends—those who see me on the street flee from me. I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery” (Psalm 31:11–12).
An inferiority complex 11 is a painful, debilitating feeling of being less valuable than others.
Inferior means less valued than others.
A complex is a group of beliefs based on the past that has a powerful influence on present behavior.
An inferiority complex is an acute sense of low self-worth, which has two very different results:
Fearfully timid attitudes and
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