Self-esteem is a wonderful thing! It means you will apply for that job, go to rehab and amend your life, because you believe you deserve better. You will talk to that girl/boy because you believe you are attractive and lovable, and you will speak up for yourself, because you believe that you don’t have to take that kind of behavior, situation, or imposition. Most of all, you will believe that YOU ARE ENOUGH, you will rise to any occasion, and somehow you will manage.
This is not to say you will not have to acquire skills, and go for opportunities and do the right thing, but it will convince you that you CAN do these things, and you are worthy of the gains they will bring.
Most important to self-esteem, is to forgive yourself for your past mistakes, and also for the trauma in your past. Many people blame themselves for the abuse or misfortune in their lives. Forgive yourself, and forgive the person who did it to you. Know that you and they were doing the best they knew how in the circumstances. Now that you are grown up, and know what you do now, you can and will handle things differently. Bless the others, Bless the situation and let them go, never to affect your life again. You can also “cast [these] burdens on Jesus,” and let them go, for He loves them and you, and you can be made new. But Jesus also lives within you, so what you do and think utilizes His power.
After forgiving yourself, be kind to yourself. Be your own, very best friend. Nurture your Inner Child. Knowing you deserve better, keep your eye on the goal of achieving that better state, encourage yourself to make small changes and take small steps [if not large] in that direction. Remember to congratulate yourself on each new gain you make. Forgive yourself for any slip-ups, and refocus on your goal – get up and try again! Be like a mother encouraging her toddler to walk. She doesn’t beat him every time he falls. No, she tells him what a good job he is doing, and encourages him to get up and try again. If you do the same for yourself, you will soon see wonderful, positive progress!
When you do all this, and realize your self-worth, you will see, good things — good people, situations, things, and opportunities — will be attracted into your life. And you will let them in, welcome them in, and receive them as something you have been working for, expecting and deserve. For the same reason, you will grab the opportunities that come your way, instead of letting them go by because you think it’s no use trying, you never get a break anyway!
As the song says,
“YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE! NO LESS THAN THE TREES AND STARS, YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HERE. AND WHETHER OR NOT IT IS CLEAR TO YOU, NO DOUBT THE UNIVERSE IS UNFOLDING AS IT SHOULD …”
As a Child of the Universe, you are loved by the Creator, and are therefore worthy of the love of others, and yourself. Marvel in the uniqueness of you, and in God’s love. If the Creator loves you, surely you are worthy of your own love. However, you owe it to yourself, to the Creator and to others, to be and to strive to become the best that you can be. Meanwhile, impress others with how you deal with your imperfections!
Go forth, and nurture yourself. Like a plant, you will claim that health, vitality and prosperity that is your birthright, reveling in the Sun of the Creator’s Love, Like an acorn, you will grow into the beautiful oak tree that the Creator intended you to be.
A strong oak tree that not only gathers minerals and water from the ground with its roots, and energy from the sun with its leaves, but provides shade for other creatures. It also provides food , and homes for them amongst its roots and branches and perhaps inside a hollow trunk. It provides strength, protection and comfort for so many apart from itself. And all this potential is encoded in the acorn. The acorn just grows into its own potential because it trusts it will & expects to, and does what it must. Most importantly, it never says, “I am not worthy to be an oak!” Surely, the Universe created us all to be at least as good and worthy as trees — to thrive and to bless the earth and others.
Grapevine Center 