What is it that makes us want to compare ourselves to others? We seem to want to measure our own worth in comparison to what others have achieved, say or do. Yet we find it difficult to see the value in who we are if we don't match up to others expectations. In looking so much at others we then miss or overlook the amazing person God has created us to be and the value he has placed on us.
There are two things in particular that feed this difficulty we have with self-acceptance.
1. Thinking too little of ourselves
When we allow our mental or internal picture of ourselves to be developed only from what others think, we lose our sense of self-worth and self-esteem. We will think too little of ourselves. We may not necessarily express it like that. We may try to impress people, achieve certain things, do things to gain people's attention or acceptance. But everything we do won't be for our own benefit or for the purpose of doing it but to try and inflate or increase our own self-image and gain other's acceptance.
2. Fear of people
Not only do we think too little of ourselves, but we develop a fear of what people will think or do in relation to us. We will be afraid that if we do something that we like or we believe is right that we will be criticized, put down or derided because of it. We will then tend to try and do only things that we think others find acceptable. While there may be a number of reasons why we let this type of fear rule our lives, if we have a poor self image we will find ourselves living our lives according to other people's standards and wishes and not our own.
So what can we do?
How can you overcome the fear of others and the tendency to think too little of yourself? By learning to accept yourself as the person God made you to be.
"The principle of self-acceptance is the discovery of personal worth through the acceptance of yourself."
True acceptance of yourself comes from a love relationship with God through Jesus Christ. He first loved us that we might love Him (1 John 4:19). We are then commanded to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We have to learn to accept and love ourselves and to thank God for the person he made us to be.
