Relationship to Self

Self-Worth (value you place on yourself)

Your relationship to yourself is important because it will impact your other relationships.

Thieves rearranged the price tags

You have intrinsic value because you have been made in the image of God:

English Standard Version Chapter 1

27  So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Crinkled dollar bill Illustration

Our self worth can be dictated by a couple things:

Believing you’re not worthy of respect, love, or care

This can happen because of what people have said about you, or things that have happened to you, or from pressure from others to be better than you are

When we cheapen our worth, we begin to settle for lesser things!

Body image

Beauty is completely subjective. The person you are on the inside is much more important and will affect the way you are perceived on the outside!

Rachelle and Nathaniel example

Know your worth, but don’t get caught up in the comparing game!

Comparing to others

Sometimes our low self worth can actually be rooted in pride

English Standard Version Chapter 12

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think

“I’m not smart enough, attractive enough, competent enough, gifted enough, educated enough, successful enough, rich enough, or prominent enough”

This is because we think highly of ourselves, and are ashamed or frustrated that we don’t attract the admiration of others that we desire.

This can cause us to tear others down to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.

Therefore, the key to maintaining a healthy self-worth is to not attempt to ever give ourselves too much value. Instead, attempt to always attribute a general worth, common to all human beings. 

This can happen because of what people have said about you, or things that have happened to you, or from pressure from others to be better than you are

This can lead to emotional dependence, and you will tolerate behaviors from people you usually wouldn’t

When you know your worth, you can move into self-acceptance

Body image

Self-acceptance/love

Beauty is completely subjective. The person you are on the inside is much more important and will affect the way you are perceived on the outside!

Rachelle and Nathaniel example

Self-acceptance

Your relationship to yourself is important because it will impact your other relationships.

Know your worth!

What self acceptance is not:

It is not looking inward and seeing your flaws and sins as a person, and choosing to accept it.

It is not looking inward and seeing your flaws and sins as a person, and choosing to accept it.

Jesus said “come as you are,” not “stay as you are!”

Jesus said “come as you are,” not “stay as you are!”

True self acceptance is:

Coming more and more to see ourselves as God sees us:

True self acceptance is:

sinful, guilty, inadequate humans who have been washed clean and declared righteous by faith in Christ

True self-love is acceptance of ourselves as redeemed people.

Not an active striving to love ourselves more. Rather, it is coming more and more to see ourselves as God sees us: sinful, guilty, inadequate humans who have been washed clean and declared righteous by faith in Christ ().

See yourself through God’s eyes

True self-love is acceptance of ourselves as redeemed people.

See yourself through God’s eyes

English Standard Version Chapter 61

10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;

my soul shall exult in my God,

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

Application Thoughts

You have intrinsic value because you have been made in the image of God:

English Standard Version Chapter 1

27  So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Our self worth can be dictated by a couple things:

Our comparison to others:

Comparing to others

Sometimes our low self worth can actually be rooted in pride

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think

English Standard Version Chapter 12

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ro 12:3). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

But if you suffer from our sense of failure, underachievement, and shame because compared to others you just are not smart enough, attractive enough, competent enough, gifted enough, educated enough, successful enough, rich enough, or prominent enough, it may be rooted in pride. This is because we think highly of ourselves, and are ashamed or frustrated that we don’t attract the admiration of others that we desire.

But if you suffer from our sense of failure, underachievement, and shame because compared to others you just are not smart enough, attractive enough, competent enough, gifted enough, educated enough, successful enough, rich enough, or prominent enough, it may be rooted in pride. This is because we think highly of ourselves, and are ashamed or frustrated that we don’t attract the admiration of others that we desire.

This can cause us to tear others down to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.

This can cause us to tear others down to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.

Therefore, the key to maintaining a healthy self-worth is to not attempt to ever give ourselves too much value. Instead, attempt to always attribute a general worth, common to all human beings. 

Believing you’re not worthy of respect, love, or care

This can happen because of what people have said about you, or things that have happened to you, or from pressure from others to be better than you are

This can lead to emotional dependence, and you will tolerate behaviors from people you usually wouldn’t

This can lead to emotional dependence, and you will tolerate behaviors from people you usually wouldn’t

Body image

Beauty is completely subjective. The person you are on the inside is much more important and will affect the way you are perceived on the outside!

Body image - comparing to other people

Rachelle and Nathaniel example

Past mistakes that you still beat yourself up about

Emotional dependence

When you think that others are worth more than you or that you’re not worthy of esteem, it’s very likely that you’ll end up being emotionally dependent. You might tolerate behaviors from other people that you otherwise wouldn’t. The thoughts of the dependent individual sound something like this: “Since I’m worthless and undeserving of love, I’ll settle for your crumbs and am at the mercy of what you want to do to or with me”.

Body image

You have intrinsic value because you have been made in the image of God:

English Standard Version Chapter 2

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them

English Standard Version Chapter 1

27  So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

Self-acceptance seeks freedom from negative thoughts about oneself — whether guilt or insecurity or even awkwardness. It is seen as the key to the love of others and the love of God, because as long as there is any discontent with self, we are unable to devote ourselves to these.

“You can only love God and your neighbor as much as you accept and love yourself!”

1. Self-love is unsatisfying.

The first problem with looking inward for love of self is that we’re sinners. When sinners look inward with clear eyes, we don’t like what we see — at least we shouldn’t.

2. God doesn’t want you to accept your sins.

The “self-acceptance” of the children of God is not an active striving to love ourselves more. Rather, it is coming more and more to see ourselves as God sees us: sinful, guilty, inadequate humans who have been washed clean and declared righteous by faith in Christ ().

True self-love is acceptance of ourselves as redeemed people.

True self-love is acceptance of ourselves as redeemed people.

See Yourself Through God's Eyes

(AMP) says, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness…."

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

What our world often calls low self-image, I think Paul would say is just another way of thinking too highly of ourselves.

This can cause us to tear others down to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.

Application Thoughts

Be a daughter and son of God who know their worth.

Accept yourself as a redeemed people

Realize that the same insecurities you go through, others are going through. Be kind

What is it you are trying to accept?

Beauty is completely subjective. What person you are on the inside is much more important and will affect the way you are perceived on the outside!

Rachelle and Nathaniel exampl