{"id":3591,"date":"2020-09-25T12:25:16","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T12:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/arisesister.com\/?p=3591"},"modified":"2020-09-25T12:27:39","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T12:27:39","slug":"self-esteem-christian-standpoint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arisesister.com\/index.php\/2020\/09\/25\/self-esteem-christian-standpoint\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-esteem: A Christian Standpoint"},"content":{"rendered":"

Self-confidence can be defined simply as confidence in one\u2019s worth or abilities. It can be seen as the value you attach to yourself. From the angle of the world, the focus is on what you think you are and can do. From a Christian standpoint, we define self-esteem as confidence in the way God sees you. Who God says you are is what should matter most in our lives. The Christian approach focuses on God\u2019s opinion not on self. Most times when we talk of self-confidence we think of how bold or courageous a person approaches situations. When we know God has a higher opinion of us, we can confront any situation with boldness. As Christians, we gain self-confidence when we place our hope completely in God. Scripture says : “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint, Isaiah 40:31.”<\/em><\/p>\n

I suffered from low self-confidence for a long time. I have not completely gotten out of it, but I have made very remarkable strides to build a healthy self-esteem. I always thought so little about myself, partially because I grew up predominantly in an orphanage. This made integrating with peers from regular homes a little challenging. I felt like I hadn\u2019t enough experiences to share with peers or my experiences would be weird. The amazing thing is that every time I managed to share my little stories with my peers, they found it so interesting and had a lot to learn from. Yet I did not see it good enough to make me confidence of myself. Instead of trying to work on my self-confidence, I hid under the pretext of being a humble child. I did not understand that humility does not mean low self-confidence. I always tried to blend in especially when given a task to do because I always felt my contributions would not be good enough. At a certain point, I found consolation in a phrase a lecturer made. He said \u201cintroverts are always quiet but have the tendency to learn more\u201d.<\/em> I was suffering from low self-esteem yet I considered myself an introvert. I may have been an introvert for real but I lacked confidence in myself.<\/p>\n

Once we were given a task to do in class. Every other person took a similar approach to it which of course was the wrong one. I had a completely different approach, but because I was not too sure of myself I kept quiet about it. At the end of the day, we failed in the task because I concealed my opinion which was the right one. At that point, it dawned on me that I need to learn to make contributions, irrespective of how they are received. When I started making contributions to tasks, there was more insight and understanding given to it. There are moments I still have self-doubts especially when I am amongst peers who are more educated and eloquent than I am but one thing comforts me, \u201cI can do all things through Christ who gives me strength\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

What are some indicators of low self-confidence<\/strong>?<\/p>\n