Less Than You Are

It’s common for many to grow up with phrases repeated over and over to them: “Who do you think you are?” “I don’t want you to get a big head” and “You don’t know very much do you?”

These get stuck in our heads and affect what we think of ourselves and how we do life.

Unfortunately, they are only partially true.

We don’t really understand our worth.

I’m reading through the Bible’s New Testament and came across a very interesting phrase. It’s in The Message translation; it offered me a fresh perspective.

“I don’t want you to become part of something that reduces you to less than yourself.” That’s what the apostle Paul wrote to the Christ-followers at Corinth in Greece.

Because we don’t understand our worth, we engage in thoughts and activities all the time that reduce us to less than ourselves.

Lying, cheating, exaggerating, hating, fighting, despising, bragging, withholding, clinging, being arrogant and selfish. All these are practices that reduce us to less than ourselves.

It’s why things like pornography are so insidious. (You really are better than that.) You were created for real relationships, not fake ones.

What are you thinking or doing that reduces you to less than yourself?

Are you in a toxic relationship?

Do you engage in unhealthy behavior?

Are you stuck in a job that’s killing you?

You have incredible value. You have aspects of the divine in you. The planets, plants, animals, and angels are awesome. But they are not made in God’s image as you are.

Consider your worth. Then consider the things that reduce you to less than yourself and make changes.

1 Corinthians 10:20 in The Message

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