Reality TV shows try to redo our space, our weight and our face.  The makeover is transformational on the outside.  What about the heart?

Lottery winners still go bankrupt.  Celebrities commit suicide.  Homes get run down.  And today’s fashions become tomorrow’s castaways.

I’ve tried to fill that void too.  The harder I chase after perfection or happiness or fulfillment, the farther it stretches out of reach.  Recently, a contestant on “What Not to Wear” wept through most of the show, confessing that she felt unattractive.  Each time she was affirmed for her beauty, she said, “I just don’t see it.”

I believe that many in our society feel that same way about themselves.  I have struggled with self-esteem most of my life.  And yet, God has repeatedly said in His Word that we were made in His image.  We carry that imprint of His precious Spirit in us.  He chose us as His treasured possession.  We bring joy to His heart.

If we really could grasp how much we are loved by God, it would transform us!  He asks us to spend time with Him, to read His Word and to honor Him.  By doing so, we find out how He feels about us.  It’s no wonder that our enemy tries to keep us too busy to read our Bibles and go to church.  He doesn’t want us to know what the true God of compassion is like.  Satan wants us to remain bogged down in our misperceptions about God.

Besides the result of drawing closer to the Lord, another benefit of raising our self-esteem is that it would affect how we treat each other.  When I feel good about who I am as God’s creation, it changes how I treat others.  By placing value on the life of one, we place value on the life of all.  We learn to respect each other’s opinions and differences in personality.  We learn to celebrate each other’s successes and mourn together over losses.  We are not in competition with each other but instead partner for the same cause.  The cause to share God’s Love with a world of hurting and lost people.  The cause to release those who are captive to Satan’s lies and don’t know that they have a heavenly Father who adores them.  The cause to share the Good News that God wants to transform our lives from the inside-out!