If you were suddenly to disappear do you think you would be missed? Would anyone care that you were no longer around? Regardless of your answer to this question – how does it make you feel? Before I ask any more questions, the reply to the first question is – yes! Yes you would be missed! Who you are, what you do, what you say, how you do all this… yes, you would be missed. Contrary to what you may believe, you would be missed. How does that make you feel? Or do you not believe it?
If you have low self esteem it would be difficult to accept that you would be missed partially because it would force you to re-examine your perception of yourself. If you don’t value you how could you accept the fact that others do? Low self-esteem is a thief of the most vicious kind. It takes you from who and what you are to a fading, misty image. It incapacitates people and robs them of the most precious thing they have – their true self. But how do people get to this point?
I would argue that there are two paths to low self esteem: one is that who you are is denied and subjugated to such an extent that you accept who you are ‘proclaimed’ by someone else to be, the other is even worse – you give the right to someone else to define you, you abet in your own robbery… of you! Whether that is your talents, your freedoms, your expressions – you help others rob you of who you are and what you are capable of accomplishing.
You have been fearfully and wonderfully made. You are unique, special. And God don’t make junk! Yes, we make poor choices at times and then think that we are unredeemable… the great news is that we aren’t. I read somewhere that the best gift you can offer the world is you. And that is so true. There’s only one you and only you can do what you do – and yes it is needed… and wanted.
