Real Questions People Ask
Can we know the truth?
Or
Is everything relative?
Living the Christian life as “strangers and aliens” in this world has been a challenge for believers in every century. Some see truth as an outdated and irrelevant concept. Sources formerly unquestioned have now been dismissed as unreliable.
In fact, one of the most popular teachings of our day is that you can’t know the truth about anything because truth is relative. Can we know the truth? Do absolutes still exist? Christians believe that God Himself is true and is an unfailing source of truthfulness. He has given us His Word and in that Word we learn of Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Christians in the 21st century need to know what they believe and why they believe it. The six sessions of the “Honest to God” study will enable you to grow in your own faith and equip you to be more effective in sharing that faith with others. These sessions address foundational issues in the life of every person:
- The origin and significance of human life
- The existence and nature of God
- How God reveals Himself and relates to people
Studying chapters like Genesis 1, Job 42, Psalm 119 and 139, and Romans 1 will enrich your life and adjust your perspective. You will learn what the Bible really says on crucial matters in a way that is both refreshing and honest.
Real Question #1: Is Every Life Sacred?
How can people tell what's valuable to you?
Why
would we value one life over another?
Are some lives more important than others? Culture gives lip service to the value of life, but the way of the unborn, disabled, and elderly are treated by society sends a different message. Some people may not appear to be making a viable contribution to the world around them, but Psalm 139 points to an all-knowing, all-loving God who values each one of us.
What is the value of a human life? For many in our American culture, a mother’s womb has become a hazardous site. The plight of the aged is riddled with accounts of neglect and abuse.
More than 25 years ago, former Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop lamented the devaluation of human life. “When I graduated from medical school the idea was, ‘How can I save this life?’ but now for a great number of the medical students it is, ‘Should I save this life?’” If we want to understand the true value of life, the best resource to consult is the book penned by the Author of life.
The God of creation, who created us in His image, provides us with several insights into His perspective about the incalculable worth of human life. One specific example of this perspective is found in Psalm 139. Addressed to the Choirmaster, the psalm of David celebrates God’s intimate knowledge of us and His intricate fashioning of us as His unique handiwork. As the Author and Sustainer of human life, God values our existence. Because He values life, so should we.
God values life and so should
we.
(Remember, Orange isn't a color. It's a way of life!)
(Remember, Orange isn't a color. It's a way of life!)
Life is sacred because:
I. GOD VALUES US – PSALM 139:1-6
1 Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. 3 You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, Lord. 5 You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. 6 This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it.
From these verses, how can you know that God values you? What actions did the Lord take to know the psalmist?
- As the psalmist looked back over his life, he viewed with awe and wonder that God, who is awesome and wonderful Himself, had been so deeply involved every step.
- The You and me shows the relationship.
- The Lord searched (examined closely) the psalmist, so He was well equipped to know him.
- The Lord’s knowledge wasn’t limited to the big events but included the smallest or most common details – You know when I sit and when I stand. Moreover, You understand my thoughts from far away – the psalmist was convinced that the Lord knew his thoughts even as he formulated them, in advance of their being fully shaped in his mind.
- The Lord observed the psalmist’s travels and rest, and is aware of all my ways – the Lord knows the psalmist deeply and closely (intimately), every detail of the course of his life – habits and moral character.
- Just as the Lord knew his thoughts before they were formed in his mind – He would also know every word before it is spoken.
- The Lord had encircled the psalmist – he was surrounded and hemmed in on every side. He had laid His hand on the psalmist – His touch is a reminder of His nearness, of His protection, and a powerful expression of His support. Who has not needed any one of those from the Lord?
- Knowing that the Lord knew everything about him was so amazing that he could hardly comprehend it.
- We can never go anywhere, engage in any activity, or entertain any thought outside of the knowledge and presence of God.
- The Lord knows each of us fully and intimately. Knowing that God knows us is awe-inspiring and humbling. That God knows us so intimately is evidence that we are of worth in His sight.
How amazing it is, that out of all that exists in the universe, God is aware of each of us as individuals. No one is so unimportant or insignificant as to escape God’s attention or fall outside of His care and concern.
Life is sacred because:
II. GOD CREATED AND HAS A PLAN FOR US – PSALM 139:13-16
13 For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began.
If we take these verses seriously, we are left with no other option than the reality that human life begins at conception. Since life begins at conception, how does this impact our attitudes toward the hardest questions about abortion?
How did the psalmist describe God’s involvement in human life?
- Inward parts include the seat of emotion, affection, and moral sensitivity – our true self more than we are physically.
- The psalmist was convinced that God had orchestrated his conception and development at every point.
- You knit me together in my mother’s womb – could refer to the hiddenness of a baby’s development within the security of the mother. The psalmist had been under the Lord’s protection from conception. He was no biological accident. Knit can also mean “entwine or to weave,” so this shows how God is intricately at work in the birth process.
What words did he use to describe the wonder of the Lord’s creation of human life?
- Remarkably and wonderfully made.
- Created, knit me together, remarkably and wonderfully made, works are wonderful.
- Life is the creation of the Lord, thus, life is precious in His sight.
- Life, from beginning to end and all places in between, is lived under God’s view toward the end of achieving His holy purpose.
What should characterize our treatment of others (the sick, poor, disabled, and elderly) in light of the fact that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made?
How do these verses affirm or encourage you to trust in the Lord?
- The human body, with all of its members and functions, is an astounding complex and amazingly orchestrated creation. It is no wonder that David exclaimed, “Your works are wonderful.”
“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.”
- George Washington Carver
- George Washington Carver
Life is sacred because:
III. GOD IS WITH US – PSALM 139:17-18
17 God, how difficult Your thoughts are for me to comprehend; how vast their sum is! 18 If I counted them, they would outnumber the grains of sand; when I wake up, I am still with You.
The psalmist once again erupted in praise. He was stunned at the magnificence and magnitude of God’s thoughts toward him.
In what two ways are the Lord’s thoughts superior? (Quality & Quantity)
No matter that the Lord’s thoughts can’t be measured, what is one thing of which is certain?
- One thing is for certain. No matter what we do, where we go, whether at the beginning or the end of life or somewhere in between, whether asleep or awake, we are in God’s presence. I am still with You is the psalmist’s testimony. We cannot escape the Lord’s presence; He is always with us.
We should live in light of the fact that God values us. He has assigned worth to those made in His image. Luke 12:6-7 says, “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight. Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows!” beyond that, God knows us completely. Our past, present, and future actions and thoughts are seen by an all-powerful and all-knowing God. This knowledge blew David’s mind. God’s love for us is also amazing given He knows everything about us – the good, the bad, and the ugly. The ultimate demonstration of God’s valuing of us is the cross of Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:8)
What people groups in our community may be considered as unimportant, of little value, and therefore, neglected or ignored?
Action Item: Choose one action item and name ways we can value these lives.
Expressing Value:
- Ways I can show love to unborn children:
- Ways I can show love to children and students:
- Ways I can show love to elderly adults:
- Ways I can show love to people with physical challenges:
- Ways I can show love to people with mental challenges:
What is needed to call attention to these people and to help restore them to being valued in your community, perhaps even in your church?
Live It Out
Make it personal. What can you do that communicates to some specific individual, “You are a person of worth in God’s sight but also to me?
- Show grace. Many people suffer silently with guilt over involvement with a past abortion. If you know someone like this, extend God’s love and grace to him or her.
- Write a letter that values life. Perhaps you can enclose money to help save babies or enhance lives. Your local school might need a piece of playground equipment that accommodates a child who happens to be in a wheelchair.
- Form a friendship with someone who’s been labeled. Think about the labels “homeless,” “terminally ill,” “mentally handicapped,“ and so on. Getting to know someone will change your attitude about that person.
- Change your way of thinking – about yourself! Begin to look at others through God’s eyes and not your own.
Don’t just talk about valuing life. Value, cherish, and guard human life. Show the sanctity of each life.
The sacredness of human life is grounded in the facts that God created us in His image, knows every detail of our existence, and has given His Son in order to save us from our sins.
Consider what makes an item valuable. Some things may be valuable only because a society has deemed them so. Other things take on value because they are rare commodities. Even a common item may be deemed valuable because of who owns or owned it. Something may be valued highly because of its usefulness.
What makes a person valuable? Our culture may apply some of the same criteria. Sadly, that opens the door to deciding that some people are not valuable. They have nothing deemed unusual or worthy to offer.
In this session we have seen why the Lord looks at all people as valuable, as persons of worth. Every person is His creation, made for His purpose. Therefore, we are to value them as well, even those we may think have nothing to offer us.
Prayer of Commitment
Lord, I praise You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me also to think that way about others and to treat them as valuable in my sight, as they are in Yours. Amen.
Lord, I praise You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me also to think that way about others and to treat them as valuable in my sight, as they are in Yours. Amen.
The Value of Human Life: Broadening Our Definition
What is the first political issue that you think of when you hear the phrase “the value of human life?” It’s probably abortion, right? In my experience, this is the most common issue that is associated with the idea of valuing human life, especially among American Christians. And as someone who believes that a growing fetus is a human life, I don’t disagree with this phrase being associated with the anti-abortion movement.
I would argue, though, that we have a much too limited view of the value of human life when we almost solely apply it to the abortion issue. I have been encouraged as I see more and more Christians today discussing life issues in a more holistic way- from “cradle to grave,”- and emphasizing the dignity of all human life at any age and stage. Many Christians today oppose life issues that affect adults and the elderly, like capital punishment and physician-assisted suicide.
But there is one more area that in which I believe we desperately need to apply this value, and to be honest, I don’t often see it. It’s not as much a life issue like abortion or capital punishment as it is an issue of placing higher value on some lives over others.
The best way for me to explain this is to tell my own story of how I recognized this as an issue myself. I live in the suburbs of Chicago, and every morning I listen to a morning show on a radio station based in the city. Last year, I started noticing a pattern every Monday morning. In summarizing the news of the weekend, the newscaster would note how many people were killed in shootings in the city of Chicago. Usually it was just a simple statement like, “Eight people were killed this weekend in six separate shooting incidents.” Occasionally it would be slightly more specific- maybe something like, “Two men were killed on the Southside last night in what authorities believe was a gang-related shooting.”
I was bothered by these headlines, and disturbed by the fact that, for a time last year, this city less than an hour from my home was a more violent, dangerous place than the war zones of Iraq or Afghanistan. But if I am honest with myself, at that time I didn’t specifically wonder about the people who lost their lives- what their stories were, the family and friends they left behind, or the dreams they may have had for the future.
And then, in August of 2012, a 23-year-old white woman from an affluent Chicago suburb was murdered while visiting St. Louis. As you can see here, her story was all over the news. And it was at this point that I realized that something was very wrong with the face that the media was covering her story so closely, but would reduce the individuals who died in Chicago every weekend to simple numbers- no names, no faces- just statistics. And I was angry at myself for accepting it- for not speaking out and demanding that the same value be placed on all lives.
In researching for this article and talking with others about it, I found out about more and more stories that were hardly talked about in the news, like the story of LaToyia Figueroa, a young woman of African-American and Hispanic descent, who was reported missing after not showing up for work and was later found murdered. She was five months pregnant at the time. But her story did not get nearly as much attention in the media as that of Lacey Peterson, even though the two stories are incredibly similar. There is an underlying message here: Lacey’s life is more worthy of notice- more valued- than LaToyia’s life.
It’s clear that this is definitely an issue of race and socio-economic class. But I believe it’s even deeper than that. When 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was killed in Chicago in January, at first I was impressed to see how much coverage her story was getting in the news, after months of just hearing numbers when it came to shootings in Chicago. But I believe that part of the reason her story got so much coverage is because she was a good kid- she sang at Obama’s inauguration, excelled at school and in extracurricular activities, and had big plans for her future. Those are all wonderful things, of course- and it is incredibly tragic that she lost her life and will not be able to realize her dreams. But ultimately, the life of a gang member who has committed crimes of his own is valuable, too- and the loss of that life should be mourned, too.
Last week, this photo taken of an article in the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye covering five homicides was passed around on Facebook and blog sites. It received so much attention that RedEye responded with a blog post of their own. Although they didn’t attempt to explain the reason behind the bias of their reporting, they did write that they hear the concerns being expressed and they want to open the conversation, which is a good place to start.
I’ll be the first to admit that as a white woman who grew up in the suburbs, I don’t know what it’s like to live in a place where violence is commonplace, and for that reason, I sometimes feel that it’s not my place to speak out about these issues. But this issue has captured me and really pierced my heart, and I don’t feel right about staying silent anymore. As humans, and especially as Christians, we need to value all life- regardless of age, race, and wealth and regardless of what a person has or has not done with their lives. If we believe life is given value by the Creator and not by any man-made qualifications, we need to insist that all human life is represented equally in our culture. To do otherwise is to diminish the value ascribed by God and accept a twisted and unjust view of humanity.
What Is the Value of a Human
Being?
Published
on November 14, 2012 by Leon Pomeroy, Ph.D. in Beyond Good and Evil
For better or worse we’re all habitual self-evaluators. This raises questions concerning our perception of personal worth and how we value a human being. This has to do with self-esteem, self-image, ego, and the awareness of our existence. Those with self-esteem are thought to possess both work-confidence and self-confidence. Work-confidence is the ability to make-work and self-confidence implies self-respect and the ability to make-work and make-love. In the words of Sigmund Freud, it’s best when you can make-work and make-love, but if you can’t do both you had better be good at one or the other. There is more to this story!
Psychologists are interested in self-esteem. In the pages of The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem my friend Nathaniel Branden has summarized our popular understanding of self-esteem. However, another psychologist challenged Branden’s understanding in the pages of Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy and Is Objectivism a Religion? He was a mentor and friend of mine. His name is Albert Ellis and he rejected Branden’s approach to self-esteem alleging it was flawed in that it committed the fallacy of contingent worth, which means worth is experienced as dependent on one's behavioral successes and achievements in life. This amounts to saying that “I’m only as good as my last achievement or success.” Another way of saying the same thing is “a good deed is a good me and a bad deed is a bad me.” This is the contingent-worth logic of self-esteem.
As post-doctoral interns at the Ellis Institute, Dr. Ellis advised us to reject the goal of self-esteem and pursue instead the more realistic and practical goal of self-acceptance in our lives and in behalf of our patients. In the years that followed I have given much thought to this Ellis-Branden debate and from the perspective of values research and how values have consequences when it comes to how people estimate their own worth and that of other human beings.
We are habitual self-evaluators! Let’s make the best of it:
Making the best of our culturally conditioned habits of self-valuation isn’t easy. It invites the rejection of Branden’s goal of self-esteem in favor of Ellis’ goal of self-acceptance, and this is no gift: it must be earned the old fashion way... with practice, practice, practice! It must be earned much as any significant expansion of consciousness and free-will must be earned. It means rehearsing the belief that “I am worthwhile because I exist, I am I, and I am alive.” I will repeat this powerful new idea to live by in hopes of it finding an audience willing to adopt it as a mantra capable of creating a healthy transformation by coming alive within us. This therapeutic mantra of sorts is customary practice within the discipline of axiological psychology informed by the convergence of Ellisonian Psychology and Hartmanian Philosophy. Thus, the key to working on self-acceptance must involve an understanding of the fallacy of contingent-worth, self-acceptance, and self-esteem.
The heuristic belief that I’m worthwhile merely because “I am I, I exist, and I am alive” thoroughly rejects the belief that my worth has anything to do with my performances, achievements or successes in life! It asserts “a bad act is not a bad me, nor is a good act a good me.” It implies that there are no bad people, no evil people; only bad behaviors or evil behaviors. This belief is not without boundaries; for the social-contract that binds us means society must reserve the right of forced hospitalization, incarceration, even capital punishment for those with markedly diminished levels of rational autonomy, which is the essence of sanity in a world where evolution and consensus dictate that life is better than death, sanity is better than insanity, health is better than disease, love is better than hate, good is better than evil, and so forth!
Self-acceptance avoids the trap of contingent-worth, which most psychologists see as one of the pillars of self-esteem. Deflecting valuation away from the self towards behavior amounts to a healthy, learned detachment or dissociation of behavior. Self-acceptance means the intrinsic worth of self is constant and beyond human valuation or devaluation merely because “I am I, I exist, and I am alive” This belief (Doctrine? Mantra?) of the absolute-worth-of-the intrinsic-self, divorced from the variable-worth of behavior, is clinical metapsychology of the sort clinical psychologists, on the front lines of patient care, are interested in. It’s origins are in clinical practice and the convergence of Ellis’s clinically relevant cognitive psychology with axiological science informed by Robert Hartman’s theory of value, validated in the pages of The New Science of Axiological Psychology. This clinical frame-of-reference is remedial “psycho-logic,” or a remedial “thought-style” finding support in axiological science and psychology. It goes beyond mainstream-psychology and falls in the lap of philosophical counseling encouraged by the American Philosophical Association.
As habitual self-evaluators, we need to protect ourselves from ourselves. Getting existential valuation right has consequences, and we can all do better than make our worth dependent on our most recent achievements and successes in life; which are never sustainable. Making success a “heaven of sorts” inevitably dooms us to a “hell of sorts,” because we’re fallible human beings. Let’s abandon the belief that says “a good act is a good me and a bad act is a bad me.” In so doing, we expand our rational autonomy, and therefore emotional autonomy, which favors getting the good things in life for ourselves and others.
The question of Rational Autonomy and Evil revisited:
The goal of self-acceptance implies there are no evil people, only evil behaviors; which society has a right to hold one responsible for. The belief that I’m worthwhile because “I am I, I exist, and I am alive” is the best way to replace unrealistic, impractical self-esteem with the much healthier and more liberating goal of self-acceptance. Doing so, will strengthen individual and collective rational autonomy needed to kill evil in the world. Are you ready to “split” yourself from your behaviors? Are you ready to work on accepting your unconditional, absolute, intrinsic worth merely because you are you, you are alive and you exist? Do you see the value of this existential correction in your life? If so, get about engaging the practice of this powerful new idea to live by, and make it come alive within you.
Self-Confidence vs. Work Confidence revisited:
Does “work-confidence imply self-confidence, or self-esteem? Work confidence is not uncommon around the imperative of earning a living. However, at times it can compensate for a lack of the self-confidence, self-acceptance or even questionable self-esteem. Work-confidence can be a “shell-game,” or “game-face” masking low self-esteem or a sense of diminished worth. It can be a “big plus” hiding a “big minus.” Some Type A Personalities and ambitious perfectionists are driven to validate and authenticate their worth with behavioral successes and achievements. Sometimes they are astronauts! Sometimes they are generals! Sometimes they are captains of industry. Sometimes they are statesman. Sometimes they are doctors, lawyers or Indian Chiefs. Sometimes they snap!
Conclusion:
Must we be habitual self-evaluators? Cultural conditioning makes it likely! However, we have a choice! We can choose to go through life striving to be a success for all the wrong reasons; or we can accept that we are unconditionally worthwhile, and strive for success for all the right reasons. Sure, some may argue the goal is reaching for a nest too high in the tree; but let’s recall the French saying that goes “petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,” which means “little by little, the bird builds its nest,” … and so must we!
Looking forward to seeing everyone this Sunday as we begin this new 6-week series on "Real Questions People Ask."
In His Love,
David & Susan
Psychologists are interested in self-esteem. In the pages of The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem my friend Nathaniel Branden has summarized our popular understanding of self-esteem. However, another psychologist challenged Branden’s understanding in the pages of Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy and Is Objectivism a Religion? He was a mentor and friend of mine. His name is Albert Ellis and he rejected Branden’s approach to self-esteem alleging it was flawed in that it committed the fallacy of contingent worth, which means worth is experienced as dependent on one's behavioral successes and achievements in life. This amounts to saying that “I’m only as good as my last achievement or success.” Another way of saying the same thing is “a good deed is a good me and a bad deed is a bad me.” This is the contingent-worth logic of self-esteem.
As post-doctoral interns at the Ellis Institute, Dr. Ellis advised us to reject the goal of self-esteem and pursue instead the more realistic and practical goal of self-acceptance in our lives and in behalf of our patients. In the years that followed I have given much thought to this Ellis-Branden debate and from the perspective of values research and how values have consequences when it comes to how people estimate their own worth and that of other human beings.
We are habitual self-evaluators! Let’s make the best of it:
Making the best of our culturally conditioned habits of self-valuation isn’t easy. It invites the rejection of Branden’s goal of self-esteem in favor of Ellis’ goal of self-acceptance, and this is no gift: it must be earned the old fashion way... with practice, practice, practice! It must be earned much as any significant expansion of consciousness and free-will must be earned. It means rehearsing the belief that “I am worthwhile because I exist, I am I, and I am alive.” I will repeat this powerful new idea to live by in hopes of it finding an audience willing to adopt it as a mantra capable of creating a healthy transformation by coming alive within us. This therapeutic mantra of sorts is customary practice within the discipline of axiological psychology informed by the convergence of Ellisonian Psychology and Hartmanian Philosophy. Thus, the key to working on self-acceptance must involve an understanding of the fallacy of contingent-worth, self-acceptance, and self-esteem.
The heuristic belief that I’m worthwhile merely because “I am I, I exist, and I am alive” thoroughly rejects the belief that my worth has anything to do with my performances, achievements or successes in life! It asserts “a bad act is not a bad me, nor is a good act a good me.” It implies that there are no bad people, no evil people; only bad behaviors or evil behaviors. This belief is not without boundaries; for the social-contract that binds us means society must reserve the right of forced hospitalization, incarceration, even capital punishment for those with markedly diminished levels of rational autonomy, which is the essence of sanity in a world where evolution and consensus dictate that life is better than death, sanity is better than insanity, health is better than disease, love is better than hate, good is better than evil, and so forth!
Self-acceptance avoids the trap of contingent-worth, which most psychologists see as one of the pillars of self-esteem. Deflecting valuation away from the self towards behavior amounts to a healthy, learned detachment or dissociation of behavior. Self-acceptance means the intrinsic worth of self is constant and beyond human valuation or devaluation merely because “I am I, I exist, and I am alive” This belief (Doctrine? Mantra?) of the absolute-worth-of-the intrinsic-self, divorced from the variable-worth of behavior, is clinical metapsychology of the sort clinical psychologists, on the front lines of patient care, are interested in. It’s origins are in clinical practice and the convergence of Ellis’s clinically relevant cognitive psychology with axiological science informed by Robert Hartman’s theory of value, validated in the pages of The New Science of Axiological Psychology. This clinical frame-of-reference is remedial “psycho-logic,” or a remedial “thought-style” finding support in axiological science and psychology. It goes beyond mainstream-psychology and falls in the lap of philosophical counseling encouraged by the American Philosophical Association.
As habitual self-evaluators, we need to protect ourselves from ourselves. Getting existential valuation right has consequences, and we can all do better than make our worth dependent on our most recent achievements and successes in life; which are never sustainable. Making success a “heaven of sorts” inevitably dooms us to a “hell of sorts,” because we’re fallible human beings. Let’s abandon the belief that says “a good act is a good me and a bad act is a bad me.” In so doing, we expand our rational autonomy, and therefore emotional autonomy, which favors getting the good things in life for ourselves and others.
The question of Rational Autonomy and Evil revisited:
The goal of self-acceptance implies there are no evil people, only evil behaviors; which society has a right to hold one responsible for. The belief that I’m worthwhile because “I am I, I exist, and I am alive” is the best way to replace unrealistic, impractical self-esteem with the much healthier and more liberating goal of self-acceptance. Doing so, will strengthen individual and collective rational autonomy needed to kill evil in the world. Are you ready to “split” yourself from your behaviors? Are you ready to work on accepting your unconditional, absolute, intrinsic worth merely because you are you, you are alive and you exist? Do you see the value of this existential correction in your life? If so, get about engaging the practice of this powerful new idea to live by, and make it come alive within you.
Self-Confidence vs. Work Confidence revisited:
Does “work-confidence imply self-confidence, or self-esteem? Work confidence is not uncommon around the imperative of earning a living. However, at times it can compensate for a lack of the self-confidence, self-acceptance or even questionable self-esteem. Work-confidence can be a “shell-game,” or “game-face” masking low self-esteem or a sense of diminished worth. It can be a “big plus” hiding a “big minus.” Some Type A Personalities and ambitious perfectionists are driven to validate and authenticate their worth with behavioral successes and achievements. Sometimes they are astronauts! Sometimes they are generals! Sometimes they are captains of industry. Sometimes they are statesman. Sometimes they are doctors, lawyers or Indian Chiefs. Sometimes they snap!
Conclusion:
Must we be habitual self-evaluators? Cultural conditioning makes it likely! However, we have a choice! We can choose to go through life striving to be a success for all the wrong reasons; or we can accept that we are unconditionally worthwhile, and strive for success for all the right reasons. Sure, some may argue the goal is reaching for a nest too high in the tree; but let’s recall the French saying that goes “petit à petit, l'oiseau fait son nid,” which means “little by little, the bird builds its nest,” … and so must we!
Looking forward to seeing everyone this Sunday as we begin this new 6-week series on "Real Questions People Ask."
In His Love,
David & Susan
