Mountain View College

School of Arts and Sciences

General Education Department

Understanding the Self

Worksheet: Reflections 02

Name: Crestyl Faye Rodrigo Cagatan Class Schedule: MoWe 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Today's Devotional Reading is adapted from Rick Thomson's Devotional for Teens.

Self-esteem is a call to admire yourself. It is one of the most damaging concepts propagated in our culture.
This unbiblical teaching blinds many Christians because they believe it is the answer for people with problems,
particularly those who struggle with guilt, shame, fear, or insecurity.
From a biblical perspective, the term low self-esteem has some inherent problems. For example, if low self-esteem
were the problem with an individual, the solution would be to elevate your self-admiration.
Thinking about yourself more would lead to more painful self-consciousness or delusions of grandeur–thinking you
are somebody when in reality, we’re all hopeless, apart from the grace of God (Romans 3:10-12).
One of the deceptions of self-esteem is to spend more time thinking about yourself when thoughts of yourself already
consume you. Jesus came to rescue you from yourself, not to turn you into yourself. Looking inward to elevate your
estimation of yourself will lead you to dizzying disappointment.
The solution to this dilemma is an ever-increasing awareness that you are naked before God and that He must clothe
you in the righteousness of Jesus Christ (John 8:36).

Time to Reflect
How does God’s salvation free you from introspection while releasing you to love Him and others well?

You probably think of something nice when you think about self-esteem. When self-appreciation
borders on narcissism and you believe you're the most important person in the world, there's a dark
side to self-esteem. You must remember that there is a God who will purify our hearts and give us
assurance that we are worthy in order for self-love to be healthy.

High self-esteem also has a dark side. Everyone knows that low self-esteem is risky, but so is the
other extreme. At the end of the day, self-esteem is the art of self-care. However, it becomes unhealthy
when it tips toward either extreme. The key is to find that perfect balance of self-appreciation and
respect for others.