Your Negative Self-Talk May be Hurting Others

Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. Psalm 34:5 (NLT)

If you have low self-esteem, it hurts only you, right? Actually, that’s not true. Identity issues have many negative consequences and they may actually cause you to treat others badly.

If you feel like you can’t live up to the standards you’ve set for yourself, you’ll constantly feel ashamed. This negative, intense emotion can feel so bad that you want to rid yourself of it, so you may unconsciously try to give it away by evoking that shame on others. This is true of many kids who engage in bullying. Although experiencing shame doesn’t mean you’ll become a bully, you might react by trying to make others feel as ashamed as you do.

Hurting others isn’t the only negative consequence to having a poor opinion of yourself. It also affects your ability to have faith. Faith is confidence that God will come through for you, but feeling unworthy makes you question why He would want to help. This limits your ability to live out the amazing life He has for you.

Clearly, it’s time to get serious about breaking this habit.

You need to get your identity from your Father God. He made you and no one knows you better—not even yourself. Tune in to your thoughts today, and if they begin to cause you to feel shame or self-loathing, take a militant approach against them and replace them with what God says.

You wouldn’t allow someone to verbally assault a friend. Why allow a barrage of thoughts to tear you down?