Self-worth

<<positive self-image>>

While related, self-worth is the fundamental and internal belief in your value as a person, regardless of external factors or achievements, while self-esteem, the feeling of confidence in your abilities and accomplishments, can fluctuate based on performance or circumstances.

Our true worth is who we are in Christ. We are valuable because of the high price God paid for us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ (Rom 5:8). This is not based on our opinions or self-efforts, but God’s loving appraisal, for we are merely the recipients of “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places

I am of infinite worth – Jesus valued me so much that He died for me

in Christ” (Eph 1:3). We are fashioned in God’s image and chosen in Him even before we ever existed, and now as believers, we are destined for heaven as His treasured possession (Gen 1:26; Ps 139:13-16; Eph 1:13,14). We are chosen by a caring God who has plans for us that are to give us hope and a future with nothing able to separate us from His love (Ps 23:1-3; Jer 29:11; Jn 15:16; Rom 8:38,39; Eph 1: 4-8,11; 1 Pet 2:9). We are of inestimable value to Him because of the price paid to make us worthy and give us eternal life – the death of His Son on the cross (Jn 3:16, 10:10). Thus, our true worth is assigned to us by God, who sees us of inestimable value for in His foreknowledge (and with love), Christ chose to pay the price to redeem us, allowing humanity to come back into the relationship with God that had been destroyed by sin.

If God sees when a common sparrow dies how much more is He concerned about those who are His workmanship (Mt 10:29-31; Eph 2:10). When we receive Christ, God records our names in heaven, sends the Holy Spirit into our hearts and gives us the right to be called His children, made new within and assigned His righteousness (Lk 10:20; Jn 1:12; Rom 8:17; 2 Cor 1:22, 5:21; Gal 4:6; Phil 4:3).

Yet in our humanity, we often gauge our worth based on our skills, accomplishments, status, financial resources, and appearance or the harmful views of equally flawed fellow humans, which will only reinforce an incorrect estimation, which can lead to sinful pride (Jas 4:6).

God often uses our times of weakness, with our struggles involving self-worth becoming a testimony to His transforming power through this opportunity for growth as we rely on God’s strength, knowing He will complete the work He started in us (2 Cor 12:9; Phil 1:6). Our struggles with

Find your identity and worth in Christ rather than by worldly measures

self-worth do not diminish our value in His eyes, for we are uniquely crafted by God, with a purpose that only we can fulfil as we co-operate with His plans. Always remember: we are valuable because we are created in His image and redeemed by His blood.

We should confront past hurts and persistently choose the truth of God’s Word instead of negative self-talk that tells us that we are worthless. Allow Scripture to reshape our self-perception and find security in Christ, recognising we are co-heirs with Christ, made new creations, and adopted as God’s children (Rom 8:17; 2 Cor 5:17; 1 Jn 3:1). This calls for a transformed mindset as we render in-operative the faulty thoughts about ourselves, putting off the old life and put on the new (Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 10:5; Eph 4:22-24). He has unconditional love and acceptance, with grace to cover all our perceived inadequacies. We can acknowledge our mistakes and weaknesses without them defining us, knowing that in Christ, we are forgiven and being transformed day by day into His likeness (Rom 8:29; 2 Cor 3:18). When we persistently doubt our worth or refuse to accept God’s love and forgiveness, we are, in a sense, calling God’s Word and character into question.

By embracing humility and self-acceptance, we acknowledge our flaws and weaknesses without allowing them to define us. Recognizing that discovering our identity and personal growth is an ongoing process, we must extend grace and forgiveness to ourselves to overcome self-condemnation. An attitude of thankfulness can shift the focus from our perceived shortcomings to the abundance of God’s grace.

God values us highly; we should accept His appraisal and live with heads held high, for His assessments are not performance-based. From this perspective, we can truly respect and value others, seeing them as people for whom Christ died and what they can become “in Him’ – just as we are. Yet, unfortunately, because we are inclined to view human worth by

God is the only one who can truly define your worth

placing more value on what a person accomplishes, owns, or contributes to society, than on their being a creation of God, we risk ‘using’ people

instead of loving them – the reverse of what God wants us to do.

We are to give others the compliments and encouragement they deserve and show honour even when they fail, as true value is not based on accomplishments. Similarly, we are vulnerable to shame, condemnation, and disappointment when our best efforts fail, and we feel overlooked, Satan attacks through this destructive default setting in our minds. It must be confronted with the truth – a healthy estimation based on God’s genuine assessment. Believe and declare God’s truth over your life. You are who God says you are. Accept God’s appraisal and reject all flawed evaluations. Although the Bible warns against thinking of ourselves more highly than we should, a realistic love of self is not wrong when it is grounded in what God has accomplished for us and in us (Rom 12:3).