How to Battle Low Self-Worth with Your Christian Faith

Low self-worth can be a hole that is hard to pull yourself out of, especially when the origins of it started in childhood. Sometimes it can be hard to find the way out. Fortunately, for Christians there are resources within your Christian faith and the promises God made to believers.

What is Low Self-Worth?

Low self-worth is a negative overall opinion of oneself, characterized by a lack of confidence, negative self-talk, and a critical view of one’s own abilities and value. It can manifest as avoiding challenges, being overly sensitive to criticism, people-pleasing, difficulty accepting compliments, or downplaying achievements.

How Can Low Self-Worth Develop?

Low self-worth can develop from early childhood experiences, social and environmental pressures, internal cognitive patterns, and later life stressors.

The foundation for self-worth is often laid in childhood based on how core emotional and physical needs are met. Critical authority figures in childhood can instill the belief that they are not good enough. Emotional neglect can lead a child to believe that they are unimportant or invisible. Conditional love can instill the belief that they earn their worth based on performance or pleasing someone else, rather than who they are. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can harm a child’s sense of safety and self-value.

Some of the social and environmental factors that can shape a person’s self-worth include peer influence and bullying, media and social norms, and discrimination. Often, societal pressures to live up to unrealistic standards or exposure to manipulated media where people are airbrushed can leave people believing they don’t measure up. Bullying and discrimination can damage an individual’s sense of value and worth.

Low self-worth is often maintained and worsened by negative cognitive patterns, including negative self-talk, core beliefs and rules, and cognitive distortions. These patterns reinforce a low self-image and keep a person struggling due to the constant failure to live up to unrealistic rules.

The later life stressors that can impact self-worth include life transitions (job loss, financial trouble, or relationship breakdown), chronic health issues (long-term illness/pain, disability, mental health struggles), and unhealthy adult relationships (abusive relationship, relationships with people with narcissistic tendencies or emotionally immature).

What Can You Use From the Bible and Your Christian Faith to Address It?

As Christians, we have promises and gifts from God that we can use to address low self-worth. Some of the missing needs from childhood we have in our relationship with God if we recognize and accept it.

You Are Loved and Precious to God

The Bible repeatedly mentions how much you are loved by him and how he loves you so much that He sent His Son to die so you could be saved (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4-5,8). He loves us so much that He has called us as His children (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1; Isaiah 43:1) and there is nothing that can separate us from the Love of God (Romans 8:38-39). We are loved and precious in His  eyes. He has made us worthy by adopting us as His children.

You Are a Part of His Plan

God has prepared plans for you, and there is a purpose to your struggles that He will turn to good (Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 2:9). The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to guide us in the plans God has for us. We often don’t know the plans He has for us and how He plans to use our struggles for good. He supports you and comforts you when you reach out to Him.

He Wants You to Love Yourself as You Do Others

God wants you to love and care for yourself. When He said, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ it indicates that you are supposed to love yourself as well (Matthew 22:39). He has incredible love for you and wants good things for you. Throughout the Bible, it is mentioned that He wants you to rest in Him and lean on Him. Our bodies are His temple, won’t He want us to care for His temple.

He Cares About You

He calls you to take rest in Him when you are weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28). Jesus is the Good Shepherd, laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). He cares for you wants you to cast your anxiety on Him (1 Peter 5:7). You are not alone, but He is with you.

Barriers to Addressing Low Self-Worth

Sometimes you have the knowledge that you have worth but just don’t feel it or there are internal battles over the worth you have. These are some of the barriers that may need extra attention, either through therapy or focused tools and strategies.

Low Self-Worth that has Come From Trauma and Emotional Neglect May Need Extra Processing

Sometimes, with trauma and emotional neglect, even though you know you have worth cognitively, you don’t feel it. It’s like an intrinsic part of you just doesn’t believe that you have worth. This often requires more advanced trauma processing, as knowledge alone is not enough. EMDR processing and other forms of brain retraining can be effective for this. The problem is that your knowledge of your self-worth is not integrated with your past trauma.

Core Beliefs Getting in Your Way

Often, people have core beliefs that prevent improvements in self-worth. If you have the belief that you are flawed or there’s something wrong with you, it’s going to be harder to improve your self-worth unless you address that belief.

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and EMDR can be effective for changing core beliefs that are getting in your way of improving your self-worth. Depending on your experiences and struggles, one may be preferred over the other, but both have the potential to get you there.

Others Pushing Beliefs that Prevent You from Seeing Your Self-Worth

Being consistently around people who are highly critical of you can prevent you from seeing your self-worth. They may prevent you from seeing your worth and instill a belief that you’re flawed or not good enough. When you are trying to improve your self-worth, being around people like that can interfere with the process.

Conclusion

It can be hard to pull yourself out of the hole that is low self-worth. However, there are tools you can use, both within your Christian faith and outside it, to help you pull yourself out of that hole.