Shlama alekhun (שלמא עליחשן) exceptional woman! Shlamlak (שְׁלָמ לְךְ) brother of JESUS! The voices of the world sow thoughts of envy, lust, and cynicism. Keep your gaze on JESUS. He has your soul check-up, and he knows exactly what you need today. Trust him. Your intercessions are fighter planes: interceptors, fighters, and bombers for the Kingdom. Your regiment will not fall. Your battalion will not fail. Your company will not falter. Keep going, don't stop: you're saving lives. I'll tell you again: you save lives. You will greet in eternity those for whom you have prayed.
I praise You that I am such a wonderful creature. Your works are marvellous, and my soul recognises it well. My body was not hidden from You, When I was made in a secret place, woven in the depths of the earth. When I was but a formless mass, your eyes saw me; and in your book were all the days written for me, before any of them existed.
(Psalm 139 :14,16, LSG)
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, CHRIST died for us.
(Romans 5:8, NKJV)
Self-esteem is the value a person places on herself (himself) or the judgement she (he) has of herself / himself (identity, values, failures, successes and aspirations). Self-confidence is the belief in one's ability to succeed in one or more areas. Lack of self-confidence does not automatically mean lack of self-esteem. Self-esteem is the awareness of one's personal worth. Self-esteem reveals :
If the person appreciates, accepts and knows him or herself (preferences, strengths, weaknesses, potential, needs),
If she is aware of being worthy of expression, of being respected, loved and treated with kindness,
How she defines herself, differentiates herself, challenges herself, exchanges and defines her relationships with others.
Having a good self-esteem is therefore very important. For many people, self-esteem depends on how they look, how they take care of themselves (diet, exercise, rest, style of dress, hobbies), what they have achieved, and the opinions and attitudes of others towards them. Very often the advice given to those with low self-esteem is to do this and do that, to improve, maintain and protect who they are, what they have and what they do. For example, we advise people to make positive statements, to listen to motivational speeches, to take care of themselves, to choose a job or studies in line with their aspirations, not to compare themselves with others, to separate themselves from toxic relationships, to help weaker people than themselves, etc.
These tips are far from bad. However, they do not address the source of the problem. Moreover, they are sometimes inappropriate and too vague for some people. For example, a person with quadriplegia cannot do everything they like. Neither can a person with a mental illness. The self-esteem of a victim of sexual abuse (child, adolescent or adult) or domestic violence does not automatically increase when separated from the abuser. Not all women have the freedom to choose. There are still countries where their rights and those of their daughters are not recognised. We know the causes of childhood obesity. An obese person cannot afford to wait for a significant weight loss to gain self-esteem. It is rather the opposite. They must have enough self-esteem to maintain a good diet over time. I could say the same thing about an alcoholic, a drug addict, a former child soldier or an extremely poor person.
You cannot solve a problem by treating only the apparent symptoms. As long as the source is not treated, the problem exists: it will reappear and multiply. In the long run, one becomes either tolerant, resistant or dependent. In medicine, tolerance is the decrease in response to a drug that is taken repeatedly. The organism adapts to its presence and its response to the drug decreases. Resistance is the ability of certain pathogens to resist drugs that are usually (or were previously) effective against them. The latter no longer have any effect on them, so the treatment must be changed. Drug dependence or drug addiction is the inability or extreme difficulty of a person to reduce or stop taking a drug. Dependence most often occurs when the duration and doses are not controlled and limited to the strict therapeutic need.
David said, " I praise you that I am such a wonderful creature. Your works are wonderful, and my soul knows it well." (Psalm 139:14, LSG). He did not say "my eyes see it well, I feel it well, I think it well, people tell me so". He was expressing an awareness. He was not trying to convince himself that he was a wonderful creature. He was acknowledging that he was a wonderful creature, a masterpiece of GOD.
In the next verse he says, "My body was not hidden from you, when I was made in a secret place, woven together in the depths of the earth. " (Psalm 139:15, LSG). The secret place in which David, or rather his spirit, was made, was not the room of his parents, but the spirit of GOD. The body woven in the depths of the earth was not David's body, but Adam's.
Then he adds, " When I was a shapeless mass, your eyes saw me; And in your book were all the days written for me, Before any of them were." (Psalm 139:16, LSG).
We can replace mass with life, appearance, social standing, health, birth, finance, business, family, marriage, relationships, beginnings, progress, achievements, past, present, and so on. In short, for anything that is or could be a handicap, a complex, a failure, a cause for shame or a trauma.
We can replace shapeless with unattractive, unfinished, worthless, out of place, weak, despicable, lacklustre, unhappy, etc.
The book represents GOD's love, memory and will.
=>🙂 GOD already loves you. He loves you long before you were born, long before the devil attacked you, long before you sinned, long before you made mistakes, long before JESUS came to earth, long before JESUS gave his life for you, long before you recognised JESUS as saviour and LORD, long before you knew who you were or what he was calling you to, long before you repent, long before you love him, long before you are aware that he loves you, long before people love you, long before people recognise your talents or your potential, long before people celebrate your victories or acknowledge the harm they have done to you. GOD loves you in eternity. He truly loves you with an unconditional, eternal, holy and responsible love (Jeremiah 31:3 Isaiah 54:8). Nothing can diminish your worth in the eyes of GOD. CHRIST died for us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). GOD values our worth at what he holds most dear (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:5-6, Matthew 20:28, Galatians 1:4, Titus 2:14). GOD loves you as much as he loves JESUS (John 17:22-26).
You are not a wonderful creature because of your origin, appearance, colour, gender, social rank, diplomas, achievements, victories or people's opinions. These things may differentiate you from others, but they do not define who you are. You are a wonderful creature because GOD made you in his image, in his likeness and because he says so. He says it because it is the truth: he never lies. GOD is Love (1 John 4:8) and He dwells in Truth (Psalms 89:15). He is Holy (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8). He hates lies (Proverbs 6:16-17, Proverbs 12:22, Deuteronomy 5:20, Leviticus 19:11-12). He has no need to lie. He is Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Transcendent and Immutable. (Psalms 139:3-4, Proverbs 15:3, Job 34:21, Hebrews 4:16, Psalms 139:12, Isaiah 46:9, Psalms 139:7-8, Genesis 17:1, Luke 1:37; Matthew 19:26, Numbers 23:19, James 1:17, 1Timothy 6:16, Revelation 1:8)
It is good to take care of ourselves, our loved ones, to help our neighbours, to separate ourselves from toxic relationships, to have hobbies, to engage in causes, to set goals, to encourage ourselves, to celebrate our victories, to share our testimony, to honour and pray for others. It is good to have the affection, experience and encouragement of those close to us. GOD approves of it. It is good to listen to Christian motivational speeches (excerpts from preaching or encouragement inspired by the Bible). I often listen to them myself. These things are good, but if we don't have GOD's perspective, we will miss the goal.
We will treat the apparent symptoms without solving the problem. We will become tolerant, resistant or dependent (medical analogy). We will make up appearances. We will say nice things without really believing them. We will fail to discern truth from falsehood. We will refuse to do our part, expecting others to do everything for us. GOD loves us, but His love is responsible. He will never lie for love and he will never cheat for love. He holds out his hand to us but if we refuse to take it, we will die. Slowly for most, suddenly for some, but certainly for all.
Our self-esteem must be in GOD. Lies are not only what GOD does not say, but also what he says that is transmitted out of context. The devil will try to destroy us by using what GOD can use to bless us. The Apostle Joshua Selman usually to say " All blessings come from GOD through men to men".
Some Pharisees once asked JESUS what is the greatest commandment. He answered, " You shall love the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And this is the second, which is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."(Matthew 22: 37-40, LSG). The pattern is ⇒ Love GOD ⇒ Love yourself ⇒ Love your neighbour as yourself. Loving your neighbour more than yourself will make you dependent on his opinion. Loving him less than yourself will lead you to despise him and willingly cause him harm. To love oneself is not to be selfish, to flatter oneself with qualities that one does not have, to deny one's faults, to establish oneself as an absolute reference, to despise and devalue others. To love oneself is to look at oneself, appreciate oneself, respect oneself, treat oneself, encourage oneself, challenge oneself with GOD. This means celebrating what should be celebrated, confronting what should be confronted, correcting what can be corrected, accepting what cannot be corrected. In short, asking GOD for the grace to do the possible when it is possible, and letting him deal with the impossible. This is only possible by loving GOD.
By the way, if JESUS says that we must love GOD with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind, it implies that it is possible to love GOD in thought without loving him with our heart. It is possible to love GOD's principles, GOD's blessings, Christian values without really wanting to know him or aspiring to have a real relationship with him.
I deeply believe that one cannot love GOD with all his heart, with all his soul and with all his mind, if he does not know him. Those who love GOD obey him (John 14:21-23). They obey because they believe, because they trust, because they know GOD. They heard (knowledge), they saw (testimony), they overcame, crossed, vanquished (experience). ⇒ Those who love GOD know Him. For GOD lets himself be found by those who seek him (Jeremiah 29:13). He reveals himself to those who receive him (Revelation 3:20).
Je crois profondément qu'on ne peut pas aimer DIEU de tout son cœur, de toute son âme et de toute sa pensée, si on ne le connait pas. Ceux qui aiment DIEU lui obéissent (Jean 14:21-23). Ils obéissent parce qu'ils croient, parce qu'ils ont confiance, parce qu'ils connaissent DIEU. Ils ont entendu (connaissance), ils ont vu (témoignage), ils ont surmonté, traversé, vaincus (expérience). ⇒ Ceux qui aiment DIEU le connaissent. Car DIEU se laisse trouver par ceux qui le cherchent (Jérémie 29:13). Il se révèle à ceux qui le reçoivent (Apocalypse 3:20). He is near those who call upon him in truth (Psalm 145:18). He draws near to those who draw near to Him (James 4:8). They are set free by the knowledge of the Truth (John: 8:32). Through the fellowship and assistance of the HOLY SPIRIT, they become more and more like CHRIST (2 Corinthians 3:18, John 14:26). Therefore, they can love like CHRIST, behave like CHRIST, have the character of CHRIST, speak like CHRIST and act like CHRIST. Abraham did not become GOD's friend in one day. Very often the best things in life take time.
JESUS loves us as he loves himself, so he shares with us what he has received from the FATHER. JESUS does not ask us to be perfect, he asks us to follow him. Don't let the devil's lies, pride, selfishness and ignorance define who you are, what you can do and how others can relate to you. Know GOD and know yourself.
🙂 Having good self-esteem is important. But having GOD's esteem is better. Self-esteem is the value you place on yourself. This value can be good, bad or unstable like the price of a share on the stock market. GOD's esteem is the value that GOD gives you. This value is perfect, without stock market fluctuations: it is not on sale. Self-esteem does not need to devalue the other to value itself. The esteem of GOD does not wait for the victories and approval of others to affirm itself. JESUS is my personal value. What about you?
Love GOD, be interested in him, meditate on his Word, talk to him, ask him questions, trust him. Then you will realise what a wonderful creature you are. You will have the courage to say and the strength to do. You will discern the times and seasons. You will know how to say goodbye to the past, to pain, to trauma, to lies, to mockery, to complexes, to fear, to comparison, to rejection and to toxic relationships. You will say hello to the future and to what is to be built. You will move forward without fear. You will learn from your mistakes and speak without shame about your failures. You will know that he has always been there, that he is there and that he will always be there. For he is good at all times. Then you will say THANK YOU for everything, for absolutely everything.
** Shlama alekhun (שלמא עליחשן) = Good morning (Peace be with you) in ancient Aramaic
** Shlamlak (to a man) / Shlamlek (to a woman) / שְׁלָמ לְךְ / ܫܠܵܡܠܸܟ݂ܝ = Good morning (Peace be with you) in Galilean Arabic (Syria)
Suggestions to go further:
JESUS calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young
Comment regagner confiance en moi, by Joyce Meyer
Self-Worth: Discover Your God-Given Worth, by June Hunt
Killing comparison: Reject the Lie You Aren't enough and live confident in Who GOD made you to be, by Nona Jones
Finally Me: From Pieces to Peace, by Jasmin Sculark
Seated with CHRIST: Living Freely in the Culture of Comparison, by Holleman Heather
Authentically, Uniquely You: Living free from comparison and the need to please, by Joyce Meyer
Understanding Prophetic People : Blessings and Problems with the Prophetic Gift, by R. Loren Standford
Boundaries : When to Yes how to say No, by Dr Henry Cloud and John Townsend
Helping Victims of Sexual Abuse: a sensitive Biblical guide for counselors, victims and families, by Lynn Heitritter and Jeanette Vought.
Bullying (Hope for the Heart), by June Hunt
How to Handle Your Emotions: Anger, Depression, Fear, Grief, Rejection, Self-Worth (Counseling Through the Bible Series), by June Hunt
Confronting Without Offending : Positive and Practical Steps to Resolving Conflict, by Deborah Smith Pegues
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