The Right Self-Image
ICS Daily Devotions
Judges 6:12 (NKJV) And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!”
Our words are powerful; they form the thinking of our children or listeners. To a certain extent, our children will turn out according to how we have spoken unto them. Our words will affect their confidence, self-esteem, and behaviour.
It is not easy growing up in a family with successful parents. These children face spoken or unspoken expectations, and at worst, unrealistic expectations. They grow up under the tremendous stress of being the children of a well-known figure, expected to attain or surpass their parents’ achievements—a self-image has been projected onto them. If they fail to live up to these expectations, they are likely to be depressed, frustrated, and feel like losers because their self-esteem will be hurt.
Youths have friends and classmates as their cheerleaders, especially on social media because they want to be validated. Many voices, including their peers and pop culture, clamour for their attention. Unfortunately, they are unable to differentiate between good and bad. Some youths hate themselves due to their looks, physiques, and lack of achievements, because they lack a clear identity. Some think that nobody understands them and the pressures they face because their parents might be too busy to listen to them.
Young adults who grew up in a middle to upper-class family may feel entitled to many things, making them feel frustrated when their spouse is unable to deliver the same level of comfort. If they dwell in excessive self-love, it will bring problems into the marriage because of extreme individualism. When we first start work, we seek approval and praise from corporate leadership, and begin to take pride in our identity when we outperform others. Unconsciously, we have projected a self-image based on our achievements, possessions, and lifestyle. Sadly, we are only remembered as far as our last achievement, and the situation is a fluid one. Gideon looked at himself as coming from the weakest clan and the least looked upon in his father’s house. He felt that his background hindered his abilities. However, he had a dramatic change in his life after he knew and accepted how God looked at him and believed the promises that God has given him.
There will never be a perfect self-image created by ourselves and the people around us, the reason being that in a broken and fallen world, people will only cheer for us when we are at the prime of our lives because the world operates on conditional love. Therefore, letting the world determine our worth gives us a wrong foundation for our identity. It is what the Bible called “sinking sand”. Like Gideon, we need to choose the right self-image, which we can only receive from the Lord.
Sermon Series: How to Do Well in Your New Identity?
