Healthy Living
If you are blessed with wealth, the world will call you greedy. If you are blessed with beauty, the world will call you vain. If you are blessed with an abundance of mercy and compassion, the world will call you a sucker or a wimp. I think you can see where I’m headed with this. And if you are blessed with high self esteem, they call you stuck on yourself.
So, I am stuck on myself. And?
And...
there is no doubt in my mind that I am nothing without Christ. I am blessed and I know where my gifts come from. 1 Timothy 6:17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I know that I am of no greater or lesser importance to the Father than anyone else!
James 1:11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich (note: you can replace the word “rich” here with any number of words that describe “blessed.” For example, try “handsome” or “strong.”) man fade away in his ways. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
We can see, now, that there is a great difference between arrogance and high self esteem. Arrogance says “I am blessed of myself.” High self esteem says “I know that I am blessed, and those blessings come from the Father.” A person with high self esteem does not doubt the work of Christ in themselves and, as a matter of fact, practices the things that they see as blessed about themselves to bless the Body of Christ. Luke 11:33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light.
Who knows why God chooses to bless some people in certain areas and other people in other areas? Isaiah 55:[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. We cannot have/do anything and everything we wish. But that should never be cause to pull our self esteem down. Failure or lack of ability in one area should only be all the more reason to make us work harder in the areas of our blessings.
High self esteem says “I am a beautiful creature in Christ, blessed from on High. Because I am blessed, I can be a blessing. My Father, who loves me with an ever enduring mercy wants the very best for me that life has to offer. I should, therefore, expect no less than that for myself.” And when we cannot seem to achieve what we believe to be the best for us, we have to come to the point in our relationship with the Father to know that His thoughts toward us are better than our own. That kind of full trust in Him gives us the courage, the strength, and the self esteem to wait patiently for our greatest blessings. James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
Parents (and I know this because I am one) want the very best for their children, just as the Lord wants the very best for His own. And yet, we, as parents, tend to belittle our children by acknowledging that they aren’t as intelligent, as handsome, as athletic, as popular, as talented or artistic, etc. as we would like for them to be. When in reality, we should be building them up in the talents/gifts that they do happen to possess.
We should be models of high self esteem, acknowledging where our gifts come from and training our children to stand up firmly for themselves by being living examples for them. The old saying is true: “CHILDREN LIVE WHAT THEY LEARN!” And children learn what they live! Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. If you want your children to learn high self esteem, LIVE it!
Our children, our family members, our sisters and brothers in Christ, even our parents, cannot learn the basic truths of high self esteem from us unless we possess such a quality. High self esteem says “I don’t have to be privy to addictive behaviors, premarital sex, emotional disorders and the like because I know there is something great out there for me if I will but just wait upon the Lord. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”
Let us build one another up in self esteem! Let us lift one another up to the Father. Let us get out there and show the world what we, the body of Christ, are made out of! Let’s get stuck on ourselves and teach everyone else to do the same! And, my friends, let us do it in love, without arrogance, knowing that not all people possess the same gifts/talents/qualities, but that we are all, in some way, blessed of the Lord. Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Amen!
So, get stuck on yourself! And?
And...
bless and be blessed!
© Joyce Pool
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If I looked encouragement up in the dictionary, I should see your picture! You out did yourself here, WHAT A WOMAN OF FAITH, and her children shall call her BLESSED, I can't contain my joy, in reading this article, I'm moved to tears of JOY, unspeakable joy! How Beautiful are you? Your words resonate with me so much, you have no idea, the Holy Spirit revealed God will bless you, don't worry, in spite of what it looks like, of where you been, God is holding you, and he has NEVER, let you go, to God be the Glory, May our Heavenly Father, enlarge your coast and increase your territory, in Jesus Name, I pray, Amen, and Than God.
Treava, do me a favor, place this article in our Encouragement and Faith sections too, and you will recieve a blessing.
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