When Your Enemy Tries to Destroy Your Self Esteem

by juliemooreonlife

I just read a great post about comparing yourself to others.  Unfortunately I find myself comparing my weight to other women.  My goal weight is about 25 pounds lighter than what I am right now.  The thing is I haven’t put a whole lot of effort into losing this weight because I look in the mirror and I’m ok with whom I see.

So when did I become “unok” with me?   This weekend when my daughter and I went on a short vacation together.  I took my new camera and snapped lots of pictures.  Only to discover I absolutely looked very overweight in the pictures.   A picture says a thousand words and I felt like those pictures said, “Julie, you weigh a thousand pounds.”

I am disappointed in myself because I have come so far in being content with who I am and not putting on masks to be someone I’m not.  Seeing these pics caused me to want to be a skinny woman, which I am not, and I felt self- conscious about my body, and more than that, my face and hair.

Now this is not who I am in Christ!  I am who I am and I am content with who I am.  I am His workmanship made perfectly the way He wants me to be made, with the hair I’m supposed to have (with a little color alteration) and the face of His choosing.  To doubt my beauty is to doubt the God of the universe.  Wow, where do I get off doing that.

And where did these thoughts come from?  Could it be the enemy once again trying to thwart the plans God had for us to have a wonderful time making sweet memories?  John 10:10 “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but I come that you may have life and have it more abundantly.”   Could it be possible he’d want to destroy our time together by putting my mind on fleshly things like my looks?  And guess who fell for it?  Yep, that would be me.  Although I did not concentrate on it the whole time, it crossed my mind when it came time to take a picture.

My identity in Christ is so important to me and it keeps me stable and content.  I regret letting the enemy throw me off sync even for a minute, but thank goodness for my great God’s awesome grace.  He knows me inside and out and knows my imperfections and flaws, but by golly He just keeps on loving me, keeps on calling me, keeps on blessing me, and keeps on teaching me that He is my life and that’s the only way to live.

How about you?  Do you struggle with comparing yourself?  Does the enemy ever stick it to you?  Let me encourage you today –  Jesus Christ in you is more powerful, beautiful, righteous, glorious, joyous, peaceful, and loving than any enemy anywhere.  Live on that!