Discovering the Power of Love
(The Answer to Self-Esteem)
How Do I Love Myself
Introduction:
In the Pan American games diver Greg Lougnis was asked "How do you cope with stress?" He said "When I get up on the platform the second before I dive I say to myself ‘Even if I blow this dive my mother will still love me."
Self - Esteem seems to be a big worry of the day. Especailly among children. Psychologist tells us that certain matter must come to rest before we can actually have a healthy self - esteem. They claim that we must have certain needs meet such as some basic need like air, food, water, shelter, and safety. To be loved and accepted is also a need they claim must be meet. These needs must be meet before we can have a healthy self-esteem and strong drive toward personal growth and maintaining a healthy life.
There was an American tourist in Paris who picked up an amber necklace in a trinket shop and was shocked because of a high duty he had to pay at customs in NY. So, he had the necklace appraised, and the guy told him he would give $25,000 for the necklace. Well with that information this gentleman went to an expert, and the expert appraised it at 35,000. This man asked the appraiser "what makes this necklace so valuable?" The jeweler said take a look for yourself, when the gentelman looked through the magnifing glass he read "Form Napoleon Bonaparte to Josephine". I would venture to say that he was happy that he had found the worth of this necklace to be more than he expected. It is also important that we know our worth…
I. Know your worth.
"The basic need of each person is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being."
1. The Black Hole: I’m worth something when I’m doing good & others think well of me.
Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in Heaven.
"Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding."
(Matthew 6:1 The Message)
· Materialism - How many things we can acumulate, Education - how intelligent I will seem to others, Athelitics - How well I can perform in front of others, Appearance - How I look to others
· You will never make everyone happy
John Q Adams who held more policial offices than anyone in the history of US, president, senator, congressman, Minister of European powers, Revelotion, 1812, Civil War at the age of 70 he said my whole life has been a succession of disappointments - I didn’t have any success in anything I undertook.
· You become a people pleasure
2. The View From Heaven: I’m worth something when I know the truth about what God thinks of me.
Truth: What does God think of me?
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
"Yet the proof of God’s amazing love is this: that it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us."
(Romans 5:8 Phillips Modern English)
· God loves you so much He was willing to give up His own Son to save your life.
· You can’t and won’t earn God’s love.
· You are worth enough to God that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son for you.
Have you guys seen the comercial where this guy is talking on the phone and he has something dangeling from his finger. It appears that he has had a super glue accident. And He is attempting to call the help line to solve his little problem. He’s on the phone and is on hold, they tell him he will be on hold for 82 minutes. As the commercial progresses we find that the phone is glued to his hear, the pillow is stuck to his leg and the cat is stuck to his back!!
You know others do a good job of gluing our faults and mistakes to us. We even do it ourselves at times. The world constanlty reminds us or our failures, our errors, our sins, and won’t let us live them down. They stick to us like that cat does on that guys back. But God’s love isn’t that way. God’s love is divine. He loves you unconditionally and has sent Jesus to free you from all these things, to give you the hope and promise of a better future.
II. Don’t try to be God.
Did you ever notice when Michele Jordan became famous what happened? Everyone went around shaving their heads and hanging their tounges out when they shot the basketball. Or how about Britney Spears, now we got all these girls running around with half shirts on singing "What a girl wants, what a girl needs…" God wants us to imitate Him, however He does not want us attempt to take His place.. Let me give you an example..
What about forgiving myself?
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
"It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I’m not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn’t mean much. The Master makes that judgment". (1 Corinthians 4:3-4)
· You play God when you don’t forgive yourself….
III. Experience the freedom.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but mad Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!"
(Philippians 2:3-7 The Message)
Experience the freedom that loving God and loving others will bring. This will give you the freedom to love yourself and be what God has intended you to be.
Conclusion:
What is the answer to Self-Esteem? You must know your worth, Don’t try to be God, and Experience the freedom of serving God and serving others through love.
