{"id":1803,"date":"2024-01-13T08:32:58","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T14:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/truthmission\/?p=1803"},"modified":"2024-01-13T08:32:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-13T14:32:58","slug":"how-do-you-see-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/truthmission\/2024\/01\/how-do-you-see-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do You See Yourself?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

How do you see yourself?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What kind of adjectives would you use to describe yourself?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the words many people would think of are not flattering. \u201cDepressed.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWorthless.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cInsignificant.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cDamaged goods.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cFailure.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cUnlovable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This matters, because how we see ourselves is a major factor in determining how we interact with others. People who have a low self-image are not likely to engage in a healthy way, if at all, with the world around them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Self image is a complex thing.<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is the sum total of every attitude we have ever had about ourselves, but also everything we have ever HEARD about ourselves. Some people are just jerks that like to pick on us and beat down our self-image. Sometimes, however, we suffer long-term consequences\u00a0 for something we actually did do.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

If any of this sounds familiar to you, may I offer you some encouragement, courtesy of St. Paul?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

You were once dead because of your failures and sins. You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God.\u00a0All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature, we deserved God\u2019s anger just like everyone else.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God\u2019s kindness\u00a0that saved you.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him. He did this through Christ Jesus out of his generosity to us in order to show his extremely rich kindness in the world to come.\u00a0God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. It\u2019s not the result of anything you\u2019ve done, so no one can brag about it. God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.<\/em> Ephesians 2:1-10 (GW)<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Good enough?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our worth does not come from what we have done (or failed to do) or from anyone\u2019s opinion of us. We have value simply because we were created in the image of the One who is the most worthy of all. We didn\u2019t have to clean ourselves up or check off a list of criteria or accomplishments to be \u201cgood enough\u201d to live this life. Rather, we have this life to live because we are already <\/em>counted as good enough by the only One who matters!<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

We were made in the image of the all-sufficient God; therefore, what we have in our hands will always be sufficient for the tasks ahead of us. Because when we were created, so was all of the work that God had planned out for our entire lives. We are all wired to be proficient at and enthusiastic about certain things. And although we do have the free will<\/a> to choose whether or not we want to walk on this path that has been so scrupulously marked out for us, it always seems to go better for us when we do.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Will we get off the path from time to time? Of course we will. We\u2019re humans. We do that. Remember, though, that the value of your life is not determined by how many times you screw up. There are no \u201cD-\u201d children of God. Life is pass\/fail, and the pass is irrevocable, because the One giving the grade rigged the coursework in our favor. All you have to do is show up for class.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Success!<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the reason so many of us (me included) see ourselves as failures is because our definition of \u201csuccess\u201d is all whackety. We live in a world that is constantly judging our performance, so naturally, we do that to ourselves as well.\u00a0 It seems we\u2019re always trying to measure up to something.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Can we please help each other get over this?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to repeat myself here because I need to hear it again too. We don\u2019t EVER need to worry about being good enough, because we were designed<\/em> to be good enough to do the work that we were designed<\/em> to do.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What really matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the end of our lives, there are no bonus points for climbing the corporate ladder. No other human will be giving testimony at the Judgment Seat of God that will determine whether or not we make the cut. God is only going to ask us about two things: What we did with Jesus, and what we did with the gifts He gave us.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I need to pause here to note that the questions come in that order for a reason. Because if you haven\u2019t done anything with Jesus, the rest of this doesn\u2019t matter. You can\u2019t do the work God predestined you to do if you are not even aware of (or are in denial of) the Truth that God actually did do that.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The thing is, we can\u2019t do any of this on our own. God doesn\u2019t just provide the calling<\/a>\u00a0 for our lives, but also the strength to live it out. If we aren\u2019t in a state of total trust and reliance upon that strength, then we are doomed to failure.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

But wait a minute\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aren\u2019t there lots of successful people in this world who don\u2019t believe in God?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Again I ask, how are you defining success?\u00a0 If you\u2019re talking about worldly things like money and status, then sure, I guess. But as the King of the Piedmont Blues, Cootie Stark, once sang<\/a>, \u201cI never saw no U-Haul behind no hearse.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Hearse<\/a>
They don\u2019t make hearses with luggage racks either. (Shed Labs\/dribbble.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Satisfaction<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sure, we can make money and get the corner office, the big house, and all that. But are we ever satisfied with our own efforts? Solomon was one of the richest kings who ever lived, but this is his observation:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless. <\/em><\/strong>Ecclesiastes 5:10 (GNT)<\/strong><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is the reason I am kicking off 2024 with the motto \u201fCultivate Contentedness.\u201d Instead of focusing on getting what I want, I am going to be spending more of my mental activity wanting what I\u00b4ve got.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is true that our identity is inextricably bound to our work. It\u2019s supposed to be that way, but we tend to look at this truth from the wrong angle. Our work doesn\u2019t determine who we are. Who we are\u2014who we REALLY are\u2014determines our work.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Awkward questions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So maybe when we meet people for the first time, instead of asking the typical guy question, \u201cSo what do you do?\u201d maybe we should be asking, \u201cHow do you see yourself?\u201d\u00a0 Well, maybe not, but you get the idea, right?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So, Truthseeker, how DO you see yourself? Or better still, do you know how God sees you? Because that will determine what you do and how you do it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thanks for stopping by! To make sure you don\u2019t miss out on what\u2019s coming in 2024, click the Free Newsletter Link.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How we see ourselves is a major factor in determining how we interact with others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5016,"featured_media":1818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[206,129],"tags":[891,885,903,900,888,894],"class_list":["post-1803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-on-mission","category-salvation","tag-alive-in-christ","tag-identity","tag-joy","tag-live-up-to-your-calling","tag-self-image","tag-will-i-ever-be-good-enough"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Do You See Yourself?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How we see ourselves is a major factor in determining how we interact with others.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/truthmission\/2024\/01\/how-do-you-see-yourself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Do You See Yourself?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How we see ourselves is a major factor in determining how we interact with others.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/truthmission\/2024\/01\/how-do-you-see-yourself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Truth Mission\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100071593496538\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-13T14:32:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/1779\/2024\/01\/How-you-see-yourself-4x3-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"780\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"585\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"M. 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