In the first fifteen years of my life, I lived with my oldest sister. Shortly after I turned fifteen, I moved in with my grandparents, who took care of me until I went off to college. When I moved in with my grandparents, I had just come from an environment full of emotional and physical abuse that had me broken and confused as an adolescent. My grandma served a critical part in helping me build my confidence and overcome my previous circumstances. According to Estep & Kim (2010), God is reflected in who we are as humans, how we relate to one another, our destiny in life, and who we ultimately become. This message is crucial because my grandma always reminded me that God created me and that there is nothing that I cannot overcome. She would look back over my life and what I had been through and showed me how God was there protecting me and guiding me along the way. Her encouragement and faith in my abilities to succeed helped me become more confident in myself. She spoke positive affirmations to me daily, celebrated me when I accomplished a goal, and uplifted me when I did not believe in myself.
By the time I went off to college, I had a lot more confidence in myself and my self-worth. While I do not struggle with my sense of worth or identity as much as I did as a child, I do sometimes struggle to speak up for myself. Two practical ways to remind ourselves of our worth and being created in God’s image is never to lose sight of our purpose in life and pray. To never lose sight of one’s goal, means that they are engaged with God’s plans for their life and have something they are working toward to better themselves. As an adult, having a purpose or goal can build confidence because that person has a reason to work towards something. Proverbs 20:5 reads, “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out” (New International Version). This scripture shows that everyone has a purpose in life.
Once that person discovers their calling in life, then it can provide them with encouragement and a better understanding of who they are and what they believe about themselves and others.
Praying to God opens the gates of communication to our creator and reminds us of who we are, our destiny, and to never give up on yourself. Philippians 4:13 states, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (NIV). God is the ultimate source of power and talking to him can give people the strength and willpower they need to persevere and develop their self-worth. To pass a healthy sense of self-worth on to our children, parents must be intentional about building an environment that has healthy values and teaching children about God early on. A home environment with strong values entails evaluating one’s own feelings towards their child, loving their child, being sensitive to words used in the home and around the child, and spending quality time with the child (Dobson, 2015). All these things will help assist in building a healthy sense of self-worth in children, and they all start in the home.
References
Dobson, J. (2015). Building confidence in your child. New York, NY: Revell.
Estep, J. R. & Kim, J. H. (Eds.). (2010). Christian formation: Integrating theology and human development. Nashville, TN: B & H Academics.
lavonte40
BritanyCollins610REPLY2.docx
0
