The Sin of Low Self Esteem?

Is having low self esteem a sin? That was the question that went through my mind last Sunday afternoon after church. What got me thinking about this was an interesting discussion that took place during Sunday school that morning. We were comparing the wisdom of men with God’s true wisdom. As the class progressed, some men brought up specific forms of human wisdom that should be rejected by Believers.

Our Sunday school teacher who is very well trained in doctrine and Scripture, brought up the fact that psychology was being used in Christian ministries today. He felt very strongly that any kind of psychology or counselling methodology did not belong in the Church. This was because much of that information comes from human wisdom instead of Scripture. I happen to agree with him that psychology has no place in public ministry within the Church. When it is used there will always be the temptation to move away form Scripture and preach mans wisdom completely. Also much of the change that takes place through psychology or counselling does not truly affect the heart. So band aids end up constantly being placed on a wound that needs surgery.

Our discussion on the usefulness of psychology in the church led to what I view as a more serious question. Is having low self esteem a sin for Believers? Some in our class would answer that question with a strong yes. In their view those who are struggling with low self esteem need to repent of that sin to God. In one sense I agreed with them that those who struggle with this many times focus on themselves instead of God which is a sin. But to say that low self esteem itself is a sin isn’t something that I can agree with.

I have suffered from low self esteem for the majority of my life. It is not something overwhelming that requires medication or counseling. Instead it involves a part of my mind that is constantly telling me that I can’t do things. I realize that this is Satan trying to discourage me so that I cannot accomplish God’s Will for my life. And by focusing instead upon Christ and the standing I have in him by God’s grace I am able to overcome those temptations.

But according to a few men in my Sunday school class last Sunday I am a sinner because I struggle with low self esteem. The discussion reminded me of a conversation I had with a good friend about my low self esteem issues. He told me repeatedly that I was wrong and simply needed to repent of my sin and stop doing it. What he did not understand is low self esteem (or a tendency to put myself down) is literally a part of my personality. It is not just something that I can turn on or off.

There are thousands of people in the world today who suffer from low self esteem. These people literally feel as if they are worthless and nobody could possibly love them. It is true that they focus too much on their own problems and allow those feelings of worthlessness to permeate their lives. But they are also in great need of Christ’s love and acceptance. This can be done by leading them to saving knowledge in Christ, and then focusing their eyes on the glorious blessings they have as a child of God. But it also involves embracing these discouraged souls and telling them of a God who does not feel they are worthless. We must come up with a much better response to their problem than, “stop it.”