Self-esteem

Johnmark Camenga:

.... Nothing of lasting value has ever been intentionally accomplished because someone placed a higher priority on self than on others. Self-esteem cannot be improved by becoming loving and accepting of self; indeed, self-esteem is fallacious to the point of non-existence in that it is entirely circular. .... Your value, then, is not contingent on your perspective but on your Heavenly Father’s. In that lies the only real measure for how you should esteem yourself: your value and your due-esteem are not dependent on your mental, emotional, and spiritual assessment—all of which are mercurial—but on the rock-solid, unchanging, and utterly inscrutable determination of God. ....

As with most matters of morality and questions of whether I am in the right or in the wrong, I start with Jesus. So, with Jesus, a few phrases pop immediately to mind: first, “If anyone would be my disciple, let him first deny himself and take up his cross and follow me,” and second, “Greater love has no man than this: that he lays down his life for a friend,” and lastly, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” ....

Jesus calls you to take your eyes off yourself, to focus on him, and to follow in the way he leads. Jesus calls you to take your eyes off yourself, to focus on those around you, and to sacrifice your preferences out of love for others. Jesus calls you to take your eyes off yourself, to focus on your enemies, and to pray, hope, and work for their good. God—by his nature—is self-giving in creation and in relationship. You, having been made in God’s likeness, are designed by God to be self-giving in the same way. Turning your focus inward, then, runs contrary to your design and will lead to an inversion of the love, joy, hope, and peace of God. .... (more)

Johnmark Camenga, "Self-esteem vs God’s esteem," Unearth the Church, July 7, 2023.