This was written to help individuals struggling with their self-esteem. Negative feelings about oneself paint a black picture that is highly exaggerated. We must reject such harsh attacks on our self-esteem. Article

Success in anything comes from self esteem. The Oxford University Press Dictionary defines self-esteem as confidence in ones own worth or abilities. You gain confidence in your abilities by doing. The problem is that we usually never attempt something believed impossible. In other words, you have to believe you can do it, before you have the courage to try.

Most of us have an inferiority complex. We dont believe in our heart we can achieve major success. We may set out to set the world on fire, but after a few of our blazes fizzle out, we come to the conclusion that we were not meant to be successful.

The feelings inside us keep saying that we are not good enough. They say we cant be any more than mediocre, and its a struggle to go that far. Some of these feelings may result from past failures and some from the negative things we were told when growing up. When children attempt things and fail, they often receive negative comments from adults. It may even be insinuated that we will never amount to anything. We remember the negative things much longer then the positive ones, in fact, they haunt us the rest of our life.

The situation is no where near as bad as our negative feelings would lead us to believe. We must reject such harsh attacks on our self esteem. Everyone has a right to feel positive about themselves. The reason is as old as the world. We were created in the image of God! That doesnt mean that we look like him, but that we have the stamp of approval of the Creator of the universe. We have every reason to hold our head high and expect to be a success, because that is what we were created for.

We were created by the one that cannot make a mistake. He determined the times set for everyone and the exact place we would live. He gave each of us the strengths and weaknesses we have so we can know who we are, and what we can do. He then created good works for us to do. Our job is to discover what they are.

Believers of God have an advantage over unbelievers. We dont have to depend on ourselves. We realize that we can do little by our self, but the Lord can accomplish great things through us! We can discover the purpose we were created for by examining what we have a passion for.

When you read everything that is said about the righteous, and what was done to keep you from eternal destruction, it makes you realize how much God loves you. It is great to have parents who are well off. How much greater is the feeling that your heavenly Father owns heaven and earth and that you are a joint heir with Christ!

It is this feeling that propels one past self pity to soaring with God. Since we no longer have to carry around the load of sin once presence, we are free from worry, knowing that the one that cares for the flowers and birds will take care of us even better. We are free to pursue our dreams.

When we face difficulties, we can reach down into our faith and obtain the courage to go on. Anyone can have faith when things are going well. It is the tough times that challenges our faith. That is not a time to give up, it is one of the things faith is for. We must hold on to it and believe that we can get through the trials we are having.

Unbelievers pursue their own purpose. Believers seek the purpose the Lord created for them. When our purpose is the same as his, we are blessed beyond measure. It is a fact of life that we reap more than we sow. That is why it is crucial to sow what is pleasing to the Creator.