Who do you think you are?

As a child I remember people saying to me, “Who do you think you are?”  Actually that is a good question to ponder.  Who do I think I am?  I’m not sure about you, but I have struggled most of my life with low self-esteem.  I suppose my fear of becoming proud was so strong that it kept me feeling inferior.  Unconsciously I felt that liking myself was a sin.  I thought that being humble meant being a constant critic to myself.

Self-development and personal growth are not evil, they are necessary to fulfill God’s plan.  In 1996, when God gave me a desire to develop public speaking abilities, it was not the devil tempting me or my own selfish desire to become infallible and live a life without God.  Joining Toastmasters and becoming competent as a speaker was indeed part of God’s plan for me.  God and I are a team, and I am responsible to do my part and to trust Him to do His.  You can not act beyond the vision of who you are.  Who you think you are has a significant impact in your life.

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”  The gravitational pull of your self-limiting beliefs will involve self-sabotage.  Experiencing constant doubts about your ability to think, learn and to deal with the challenges of life will cause you to give up and not make your best effort.  If you believe you are a failure, you will act like one.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Self-management and self-expression are not evil.  Proverbs 16:3 encourages us to put God in charge of our plans so that we will be successful in carrying them out to completion.  Allow the Lord to confront your negative beliefs and show you the truth about who you are.

Learn to change that inner monologue from critical self-talk to a positive conversation.  Possess an attitude of self-acceptance and don’t be judgmental toward self and others.  Learn to think in healthy ways about yourself.

Trust God enough that He created you for a specific purpose.  In everything you do, ask God for His help and trust Him to direct you.  Begin to cooperate with Him in being the best you there could ever be.  Take some time to ponder the question: who do you think you are?