Self worth

How do we develop self worth or self esteem, and is it important?

It seems to me that there are two possible sources for self esteem

1. Looking inward.
2. Looking outward

Let's consider the first approach. I have watched a few Disney films an they all seem to give the same message. The message is, your value is hidden on the inside. All you need to do is look inward to find it.

However, consider this. Self esteem is the highest among criminals behind bars. They obviously have found all of their self worth from within. After all, society has utterly rejected them.

http://www.metro.us/news/prisoners-have-higher-self-esteem-than-community-members/tmWnam---5abzqfBTGp2ak

It seems that the higher the self esteem, the higher the narcissism.

However, if we took the later approach, that self esteem is cultivated from the outside, then Barak Obama must be God's gift to humanity with his Nobel Peace Prize and someone like me who has been critical of him, according from comments from posters on this site, I'm the dung of the earth.

That simply seems absurd as well. We all know politics suck. We all have been on the team where all the players got an award of some kind, many of whom did not deserve them. We also know that many of our bosses, if not all, have no idea who does the most and who is worth the most as incompetent in their jobs are promoted and others are not.

Because human beings are so subjective and/or ignorant, human praise and condemnation seems rather hollow to me.

Caustic for-the-umpteenth-time reference to Obama. Check.

Profoundly misanthropic mixed with self-pitying underpinning. Check.

whodey's objectives for starting this thread already achieved. Check.

Originally posted by FMF
Caustic for-the-umpteenth-time reference to Obama. Check.

Profoundly misanthropic mixed with self-pitying underpinning. Check.

whodey's objectives for starting this thread already achieved. Check.

Whodey must feel he's onto something with this post as he's posted it in debates also.

Originally posted by whodey
How do we develop self worth or self esteem, and is it important?

It seems to me that there are two possible sources for self esteem

1. Looking inward.
2. Looking outward

Let's consider the first approach. I have watched a few Disney films an they all seem to give the same message. The message is, your value is hidden on the inside. All you need ...[text shortened]... ings are so subjective and/or ignorant, human praise and condemnation seems rather hollow to me.

Whodey, I think a good place for a person to be is to be able to change places with anyone, as long as they could know Jesus Christ the Savior.

We all have people that we cannot imagine exchanging places with.
Perhaps we are repulsed by some aspect of their circumstances.
Perhaps it is a physical abnomality or disease or something else.

If the very thought of being that person repulses us, as Christians we should consider that however low them seem to us to be Jesus Christ came in underneath ALL men and women and can uphold them.

I may not like to be paraplegic.
I may not like to be of certain ethnic or cultural backround.
I may disdain to have been a slave.
I may be repulsed at being a very rich person.
I may recoil at the thought of being born in someone else's situation.
But I would like to think that as long as I knew Jesus Christ - I could be in that place.

Here Paul said that NOTHING ... could separate him from the love of God in Christ. And if him then EACH person for whom Christ died and in whom Christ has come to live, is the same.

" For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels not principalities nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 8:29)

One day I think I'll see that I'd be willing to be anybody and change places with anybody, as long as I could know the love of God in Christ Jesus the Lord.

Our worth is eternally rooted in the inseparable love of God expressed in Christ Jesus the Lord.

"The love of God is greater far,
Than tongue or pen could ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell."

Originally posted by FMF
Caustic for-the-umpteenth-time reference to Obama. Check.

Profoundly misanthropic mixed with self-pitying underpinning. Check.

whodey's objectives for starting this thread already achieved. Check.

Obfuscation for-the-umpteenth-time. Check.

Misrepresentation of another's inferences. Check.

FMF's objective to boost his over inflated ego, self worth and opinions above all others achieved. Failed.

Originally posted by divegeester
Whodey must feel he's onto something with this post as he's posted it in debates also.

divegeester must feel he's onto something with his face firmly planted in FMF's posterior.

Originally posted by sonship
Whodey, I think a good place for a person to be is to be able to change places with anyone, as long as they could know Jesus Christ the Savior.

We all have people that we cannot imagine exchanging places with.
Perhaps we are repulsed by some aspect of their circumstances.
Perhaps it is a physical abnomality or disease or something else.

If the very t ...[text shortened]... en could ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell." [/quote]

In terms of looking outward, I think you are correct, all we need to do is look up.

What do we learn from the scriptures?

1. We are created in the image of God. What this means is that human beings are special. In a sense, we are like a very expensive sports car that has crashed into a tree, but we are exquisite from the back end nonetheless. You might call us a glorious ruin.

2. We are all sinners. Being a wreck should humble us, but often does not. We should give glory to the one who made us but realize that we are completely dependent of God restoring us, or we will have no real value ever again.

Originally posted by whodey
...we are exquisite from the back end nonetheless.

I feel like there are multiple jokes hiding around here. And most if not all are related to your dislike of everything gay.

Originally posted by josephw
divegeester must feel he's onto something with his face firmly planted in FMF's posterior.

I'm sniffing out truffles.