Counsel #1 — Seeing Yourself Through God’s Eyes

Picture: Counsel #1 — Seeing Yourself Through God’s EyesCI 82.1

All of us have deep-seated existential questions about who we are and how much we’re worth. From a Christian perspective, answers to these fundamental concerns have significant impact on self-identity and self-esteem. Our identity as children of God should shape our perception of ourselves, removing or replacing any emphasis on other standards or opinions that aren’t based on His principles.^{[80]https://adventistreview.org/the-true-value-of-a-soul/}CI 82.2

“For you formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Psalms 139:13-16CI 82.3

“Cultivate respect for yourself because you are Christ’s purchased possession.” Ellen White in Sons and Daughters of God, p. 143CI 82.4

Reflect: How does understanding yourself as "fearfully and wonderfully made" by God, and "Christ's purchased possession," reshape your perspective on your identity and worth? Based on this divine truth, how can you actively cultivate respect for yourself rather than what others think and their measures of value?CI 82.5