June 11, 2023

Sometimes You Need To Doubt Yourself

I have over the years been fortunate enough to know many good and lovely people. I count these relationships as a blessing from God. I know many reading this share the same sentiment.

Some of the best people I know however don’t appreciate their own value or worth. Scripture clearly teaches us to be humble and not to think of ourselves more highly than we should Phil 2:3. However that in no way suggests that we should think less of ourselves than we should. We are called to love our neighbours as ourselves. This is a tall order if what we feel about ourselves is hatred, inadequacy, doubt, and or weakness. 

We are told these days that the worst thing we can do is question someone’s self-perception. However if you deem yourself to be someone worthy of hatred, I want you to know that you are wrong. A person who feels this way often struggles with a lot of self-doubt but they are sure about one thing. They are no good. 

I also know if you feel this way it’s very hard to believe that anyone else loves you and equally difficult to love them. Hence you may experience many failed or strained relationships.

I would like to remind you of a very important truth. When you woke up this morning God had you on His mind.
Psalm 139 is a wonderful chapter that outlines the omniscient nature of God. In this chapter the psalmist reminds us that God knows everything about us–from conception, through adulthood, to the grave and eternity.
Add to that, he takes great personal interest in us, and exalts us as His special possession. When He looks at us, He sees great value. In point of fact, He sees one thing after another that raises our value in His own mind. The writer says, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Psa. 139:17).

Imagine, everyday, the Almighty God of the universe is laying one good thought about us next to another, to another, and to another. He sees our value when we go to work, go home and at night. He’s still counting the ways He finds value in us.
In the next verse, we observe that we’re still on God’s mind when we wake up. “If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee” (Psa. 139:18).

If you have a hard time thinking good things about yourself perhaps you should take time to reflect on what God things of you. How much he values you. How we was willing to orchestrate all of history and sacrifice his own son to save you. It may be hard to believe others when they say they love you, and especially hard to say that about yourself. At those times maybe you should doubt yourself and believe God.

Kevin Cleary