most people shift the blame for bad self-esteem, or self-image, to someone else. It has become popular to blame others for every negative thing in our lives. People often say, I came from a dysfunctional family, My problems came because Im part of a minority group, Its that woman you gave me (Gen. 3:12). Other people are not our problem! All of us have had negative experiences. The choice is ours whether we become bitter or better as a result of them. For every person who can claim some dysfunctional behavior because of a traumatic experience in their life, there are others who have had similar or worse things happen to them, yet they overcame their circumstances. Why? Because problems do not dictate failure; we have a choice. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live. God Almighty gave us a choice. God doesnt make the choice for us, and Satan cant make it for us. We have the privilege and responsibility to choose blessing or cursing. Placing the blame on others is denying the real problem, and it will prevent finding a solution. If other people are my problem, Im in trouble because God did not give me the ability to control other people. The devil will always send someone across my path who knows how to hit my hot button. If the problem is within me, then there is hope because through Christ, I can change. This is freedom. Regardless of what others do, I can prosper through Christ. After psychology tries to place the blame for your problems on someone else, they try to bolster your self-esteem by having you focus on the positive things in your self and minimize the negative attributes. Thats not what the Bible teaches. Jesus said, For without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5). Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Mark 8:34). Paul said, But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are (1 Cor. 1:27-28). The Bible teaches that there must be an end to self-esteem before true service can begin. Christians should not try and store up the feeble positive attributes of their personalities. That is like trying to stop the bleeding from an amputated arm with a Band-Aid; it wont work for long. Regardless of how successful or talented we are in ourselves, we will eventually fail. If nothing else, we will get older someday and will not be as productive as before. If our self-esteem is rooted in our accomplishments, then it will ultimately fail. All the security we have found in ourselves will then come crashing down around us. The Christian should have Christ-esteem. Just like the Apostle Paul said, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20). The secret to victorious Christian living is not found in self-improvement but in self-denial so that Christ can live through us. This does not mean that God wants us to have a bad self-image. It just depends upon which self we are talking about. You see, every born-again believer has become a new person in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). (Eph. 4:22-24).
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 21:27:09 +0000
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