How Low Can You Go?

Are you sick?

When I taught at the university, this was the question that followed every cough, sneeze, and sniffle. Even if the person said no, they were regarded with suspicion for a while. If you did get a cold or worse, you were treated like a leper in Bible times.

There’s a disease sweeping the nation. It’s not whooping cough or the bird flu. We are much quieter about it. You don’t see it in the news, and there aren’t many visible symptoms. What is it?

Low self-esteem.

Doesn’t sound scary, does it? I remember when the media was talking all about the bird flu. There was so much fear over it at the universities. There was even talk about having a plan of how to teach your class from home if an epidemic should start.

Low self-esteem doesn’t frighten us like that. But it should. Seven in ten girls believe they are not good enough or do not measure up in their looks, performance in school, or relationships. 75% of girls with low self-esteem reported engaging in eating disorders, cutting, smoking, sex, or drinking when feeling badly about themselves.

Don’t think it’s just the girls either. Teenage boys can be prone to obsessive exercising, binge eating, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and steroid abuse. It is estimated that about 45% of Western men are unhappy with their bodies – 25 years ago, only 15% were unhappy with their bodies.

Remember that last week I wrote the blog Plus Size and Proud? It was in response to Ralph Lauren hiring a “plus sized” model. Robyn Lawley has admitted to being size 12 – and over 6 feet tall! If you missed that blog, you can read it here.

But I ended that blog with a statistic that still has me dumbfounded.

The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females.

I find it staggering that 95% of us are striving, yearning, and, yes even, dying to achieve this beauty. When we can’t physically reach this ideal, then if we have money, we use plastic surgery to nip and tuck away what we don’t like. And, for those things that surgery can’t fix, there’s Photoshop.

We will never reach the world’s idea of beauty.

And yet…

 …the average size of the idealized woman (as portrayed by models) has stabilized at 13-19% below healthy weight.

 …89% of women in a study of 3,452 women wanted to lose weight.

 …constant dieting and the relentless pursuit of thinness has become normal behavior among women in Western society.

 …the thin ideal is unachievable for most women and most likely will lead to feelings of self-devaluation, depression, helplessness, and low self-esteem.

Chasing after the world’s beauty only leads to failure. When we don’t achieve what we long for, low self-esteem debilitates us. This is a disease that is crippling girls, women and even men across our nation.

What are the symptoms of this disease? Professionals tell us that when a person has low self-esteem, they view themselves as inadequate, unworthy, unlovable, and/or incompetent. It creates self hate, perfectionism, feelings of worthlessness, oversensitivity to criticism, fear, anxiety, and anger. They withdraw socially, lack self confidence, are depressed, cannot accept compliments, are overly concerned of what others think, reluctant to take on challenges, expect little out of life, can’t give opinions or ask for what they want, are pessimistic, and are vulnerable to eating disorders and substance abuse.

Does this sound like anything God wants for our lives?

In case you didn’t know, let me answer that question. No! God does NOT want us to live like this. We long to be beautiful, so we chase the impossible dream of beauty from the world, and we end up trapped in the negative feelings as listed above. I’ve done it, too, especially when I try to compare myself to that 5% everyone thinks is so beautiful. Everyone struggles with low self esteem at some time. Just like any sickness, the trick is to get over it before it gets out of control and you need serious help.

Thankfully, there is a cure to this cancer of low self esteem! The cure lies in knowing exactly what the Bible says.

Step One of the Cure: Knowing what God says in the Bible about us.

·  For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:13-14

 ·  But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

 · So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

 · “Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:7

Step Two of the Cure: Knowing who we are in Christ.

 I’m God’s child (John 1:12),


a friend of Jesus Christ (John 15:15),


chosen of God (Colossians 3:12, I Thessalonians 1:4),


an heir with the Father and a joint heir with Christ (Romans 8:17),


have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins (Colossians 1:13-14),


and have been made new by Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17).

So what is the prescription for this disease?

When that pesky disease of low self-esteem, beat it back down with these lists. Tell it to scram because you are a child of the King, chosen by God of all Himself! Look in that mirror squarely and say “I know I don’t live up to the worldly definition of beauty, and that’s okay because Jesus is my friend and I’m an heir of the Father! I am loved by the Lord Most High, and I have been redeemed! My worth springs from these promises alone and not on any physical beauty that will fade over the years. God loves me, and I am His child. That’s enough for me!”

Take two of these and call God right now.

I started writing this blog with the full intention of talking about how we can be beautiful in God’s eyes, but this took over. I hope there was something in here that spoke to you. I’ll try to write about God’s beauty next time, unless something else springs up. In the meantime, I hope you stay healthy.

Do you believe our culture is to blame for low self-esteem? Do you find that this is a subject that we rarely talk about? Does it help to remember God’s promises?