1986 March/April issue Part 2

Struggling with Self-Esteem

Who has been telling people that they should always be "struggling" with things? Who came up with this self esteem notion? Another letter (I'm amazed at how many I get about this business) says, "I'm so tired of not accepting myself. I can't seem to let go of my standards of what a woman should be." It looks to me as

though we've gone entirely too far. Isn't it time to quit prying into our own psyches and take a long, careful look at the Cross of Jesus? Think of what He intended for us there: "His purpose in dying for all was that men, while still in life, should cease to live for themselves" (2 Cor 5:15); of why He did it: "He loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20); of what His death accomplishes: "When anyone is united to Christ, there is a new act of creation" (2 Cor 5:17; NEB footnote). Balance the word of Romans 12:3 ("Do not be conceited or think too highly of yourself") with that of Colossians 1:21, 22 ("You yourselves, who were strangers to God. . . his spiritual enemies, he has now reconciled through the death of his body on the cross, so that he might welcome you into his presence clean and pure, without blame or reproach" J.B. Phillips' translation). Identify yourself with the company God has chosen: "what the world calls foolish, to shame the wise; he has chosen what the world calls weak, to shame the strong. He has chosen things of little strength and small repute ... to explode the pretensions of the things that are-that no man may boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor 1:27, 28; JBP). The poor girl was tired of not accepting herself (which self?) and trying to let go her standards. If there's one thing that's mighty scarce these days it's standards! Of course, if she garnered them from "Dynasty" or from People magazine, the quicker she lets those go the better. But if she's taking her standards from Scripture, she needs to hang onto them with all her might. "Be perfect" is the biblical standard. In view of that can we "accept ourselves"? Nobody comes close to that, nobody ever has except Jesus Himself. But that's what He intends to make of us some day, and He poured out His life's blood to do it. Would He do that if He didn't love us? Would He do that and then leave us without the help we need every day? If He has done that, can't we trust Him? Isn't He worth obeying? What is the "new act of creation" if not the very life of Christ lived in us, one day at a time? Concentrate on Him. Forget self-esteem. It's an awful waste of time.