One Word 365

The Blessing of Humility Instead of Low Self-Esteem! 

(Jeremiah. ix. 22-23).

“Let not the wise man glorify himself in his wisdom, neither let the strong man glorify himself in his might, let not the rich glorify himself in his riches: but let him that glorifieth himself glorify in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am God who exercises love, justice, and righteousness.”

“True humility is not a result of an undervaluation of one’s talents and accomplishments. Such is a false humility, for it is built on a false foundation. Rather, the truly humble individual is keenly aware of all his (or her) strengths and qualities—but simultaneously recognizes that all these talents are G‑d-given, and therefore do not constitute a reason to feel superior to another whom G‑d has not bequeathed such talents.” (Source: Naftali Silberberg from Chabad.org)

Low self-esteem is about yourself while humility is about God.

UC Davis Medical Center describes low self-esteem as such: “What is low self-esteem? Low self-esteem is a debilitating condition that keeps individuals from realizing their full potential. A person with low self-esteem feels unworthy, incapable, and incompetent. In fact, because the person with low self-esteem feels so poorly about him or herself, these feelings may actually cause the person’s continued low self-esteem.”

From the Jewish Encyclopedia, “The prophet (Jeremiah) does not consider it sinful for man to rejoice in his achievements so long as he recognizes that all blessings flow from God, that they are all gifts of God. Riches, strength, and wisdom are nothing without God.”

Feelings of unworthiness, incapability and incompetence are not from God; they are rooted in the seeds we plant in our own minds. How do these unhealthy feelings get there? We place them there every time we tell ourselves lies about who we are as God’s creation. Humility doesn’t allow us to focus on ourselves; instead, we turn the focus to God and say, all that I am and all that I do, and all that I have is from God and because of God.

In my life I’ve had a number of insecure Christians cause stumbling blocks in my life because of their insistence on changing my understanding of my gifts, talents, and accomplishments from a humble outlook to that of low self-esteem. They were killing me softly with misused scripture.

If you have accomplishments that you’ve work hard for, gifts that you’ve developed into talents, and a life that you enjoy, don’t be afraid to shout,” THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL THAT I AM, ALL THAT I DO AND ALL THAT I HAVE!”. Humility doesn’t have to be a sad experience.

I make awesome carrot cake with vanilla cream cheese icing. I’m not afraid to say so because I don’t criticise other people’s carrot cake or compare mine to that of others; I simply enjoy the process of making the cake and sharing it with guests. This is the peace and beauty of humility; you get to enjoy what you do because you aren’t busy entertaining a low self-esteem.

QUESTION:

Are there things that you do or have accomplished that you haven’t been able to enjoy because low self-esteem has taken the place of humility?

Are you more comfortable with having a low self-esteem rather than humility?

ACTION:

Hand over your insecurities and low self-esteem to God in prayer. Ask Him to help you replace unhealthy feelings with that of humility.

Become more conscious of comparison. When you feel yourself engaging in comparison, STOP and thank God for the gifts and abilities he has given you. Over time you will find that you’ve decreased the amount of times you engage in comparison.

May you have plenty to be humble about and may God continue to bless you!