Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Am I skinny? Am I tall?
Am I really who I see?
Do my friends know the REAL me?*
Perhaps you know yourself very well—know who you are and where you’re going.
Maybe so. Maybe not. Probably not.
Why do you say that?
Because, deep down, most of us harbor feelings of low self-esteem. Although Americans now live longer, more prosperous lives, surveys show they feel less and less satisfied. We are increasingly a nation of whiners and hypochondriacs.
 “If I could write a prescription for the women of this world,” says Dr. James Dobson, “I would provide each one of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth. I have no doubt that this is their greatest need.”
Is it just women? Don’t men have the problem as well?
Feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem are certainly no respecter of persons. They cross lines of gender, race, age, color, and ethnic origin. People today are bombarded with overinflated expectations, grandiose hopes, and unrealistic representations of life. When their dreams fade and their hopes crash, when disappointments pile up, many become disillusioned and discouraged. Other people always seem to be doing better than they’re doing.
They’ve missed out somehow. Life is passing them by.
How about children?
Most problems with self-esteem have their roots in childhood. What happens during the first five years pretty much sets children’s attitudes for the rest of their lives.
Many children grow up feeling unloved, neglected and unwanted. They are yelled at and otherwise abused. Surrounded with too many negative messages and rules, they often become sullen, rebellious, hostile, and difficult to handle.
When they become teenagers, their feelings of worthlessness intensify. They long to be attractive, to be popular, or even just noticed. Their low level of self-confidence suppresses their talents and their personalities. The result is loneliness, isolation, perhaps bad relationship choices, and often drugs and prostitution.
 That’s a lot of bad news. Are there any good answers?
“When all else fails, try God.”
The phrase may sound trite, but the answers are there. God certainly didn’t intend for any of us to suffer from low self-esteem. “I have loved you with an everlasting love,” He tells us, “I have drawn you with loving-kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).
And the Master Teacher Himself, when summing up the great commandments, said that you shall “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30, 31).
Ultimate self-esteem comes from knowing who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. The Bible answers these questions in a beautiful and meaningful way.
The worth of our lives comes not in what we
do or who we are, but by whose we are!
Who are we?
We are God’s unique creation (Genesis 1:27). Among all the billions of people who have been born on our globe, there are no duplicates—not even among identical twins.
And that isn’t all. We’re told that God “knit [us] together in [our] mother’s womb.” He knows when we sit down and get up. He understands our thoughts. Read for yourself Psalm 139, which spells out God’s care from our earliest conception.
And the same God continues to love us unconditionally. “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Luke 12:6-7).
Why are we here?
To take care of the earth and its people, and to spread the good news of a God who is present and who cares about us (Genesis 1:26; Mark 12:31; 16:15).
Where are we going?
God has told us that His house has “many rooms” and that He is preparing a place for us to live with Him! (John 14:1-3).
And that’s not all. He also promises that if we believe, we will “have eternal life” (John 3:16).
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