Don’t Forget Who You Are                by Carl McMurray

To say that modern culture pushes us away from the wisdom of healthy self-esteem is a wild understatement. It is more accurate to say that our culture runs on unhealthy self-esteem. The feeling of inadequacy, and the dream of its cure through acquisition, is the fuel that drives our economy. We are constantly barraged with the message that simply as ourselves, we are not enough. We’re too fat; we’re too dumb, our sex lives could be better; our dishes could shine more; and, to be frank, we could smell a lot fresher. But, ah, if we would just take this cruise, buy that blouse, eat at the newest restaurant, we might become one of them, the blessed ones, the ones who are content with themselves.

Instead of the inner strength that arises naturally from healthy self-regard, our society feeds on three types of unhealthy self-regard,

Performance-based esteem (men’s favorite, based in what I can do!)

Other-based esteem (women’s favorite, I have worth because YOU think so)

Attribute-based esteem (everybody’s favorite, based in what I have)

Instead of a spiritual clarity assuring us that no one is fundamentally better or worse than anyone else, our lives are ruled - day by day, hour by hour, even minute by minute - by the confusion of believing that we must justify our existence, that we must earn our worth every day.

                - Terrence Real, THE NEW RULES OF MARRIAGE 

To my knowledge, Mr. Real is not a Christian, and yet he addresses one of the most deceitful tools that Satan uses against all men and women, to keep them holding back, fearful, feeling worthless, and ready to give up whenever they stumble or fall into temptation. Satan strives to make us forget that we are the special creation of God.

The truth is that God so loved His Creation, mankind, that he gave His special, one of kind Son to die for them. He did not wait for them/us to become “worth” the sacrifice, He loved men even while they were/are acting like enemies. He reassures us that  in His sight there is bias from neither gender, race, nor economic status. All stand on equal footing before the God of Creation. And he continues to encourage all men patiently toward sharing in His Deity.  John 3:16; Romans 5:6-8; Galatians 3:28; 2 Peter 1:4.

Do not let the Devil distract you from where you are going or make you doubt who and what you are as the special creation of God.