Psalm 139:13,14 “You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
We live in an age obsessed with image, with popularity, with appearance. Striving for acceptance, it’s easy to feel the need to put a mask on and be somebody else. Brennan Manning wrote of his own experience: “When I was eight, the impostor, or false self, was born as a defense against pain. The impostor within whispered, ‘Brennan, don’t ever be your real self anymore because nobody likes you as you are. Invent a new self that everybody will admire and nobody will know.’”
Actress/comedienne Dawn French said in an interview with chat-show host Michael Parkinson: “I’ve tried to wonder what it was that gave me confidence from early on, and I can only put it down to my Dad. I remember that there was a night when I was going to go out to a disco, and I was really ready to have sex with anybody who wanted to ask me. And my father called me into his office and sat me down, and I thought, “I’m going to get the lecture.” And instead of giving me a lecture about what time to be home or any of that he just said to me: “You are the most precious thing in our lives and you are beautiful, and you are worthy of anybody who shows you any attention. You shouldn’t feel grateful for the scraps that any other girls leave behind: you should have the best.” And I went out, and in fact no boy came within ten yards of me! I wouldn’t allow them because they were beneath me. He just gave me a bit of self-esteem.”
Self-esteem isn’t self-worship. No! Rather, it’s a healthy view of self as valuable and precious. So whether we’re men or women, let’s not listen to the impostor’s voice but let’s listen to our Father, who made us and loves what he has made.
Lord, I choose to live at peace with who I am, fearfully and wonderfully made. Amen!
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