“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).
How do you feel about yourself? How good do you feel about who you are? Low self-esteem is a thinking disorder in which an individual views him/herself as inadequate, unworthy, unlovable, and/or incompetent. Once formed, this negative view of self permeates every thought, producing faulty assumptions and ongoing self-defeating behavior. According to “The Self Esteem Book”, by Dr. Joe Rubino, 85% of the world's population is affected by low self-esteem.
As the opening passage above indicates, something which should boost our self-image is the knowledge that God has made us in His image (Genesis 1:26-27). The first chapter of Genesis reveals to us the awe-inspiring knowledge of how God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). God speaks and things come into existence. God looks at what He has made and sees “that it was good” (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25).
Before finishing up everything which He has created, God makes man. However, man is made unique from all the other creatures in the creation. God makes man “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). Man is given a place of high honor as he is given dominion over all the other creatures of the creation. Regarding the man and woman whom He had just created we read, “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’ And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food’ ” (Genesis 1:28-29). We should feel good about ourselves is we have been made in God’s image!
It is interesting that today women face greater battles than men with regard to how they view themselves. In fact, 90% of all women want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance. Only 2 % of women think they are beautiful. 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat (http://www.confidencecoalition.org/statistics-women).
However, what does God think about women? It is interesting that the only thing God said was not good in His creation was a lonely man (Genesis 2:18). Man needed a mate and God made the perfect mate for him, a woman (Genesis 2:21-22). Adam rejoiced over the beautiful woman God had brought to him: “And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man’ " (Genesis 2:23).
One of the main reasons so many struggle with having a healthy self-worth is they don’t know or have forgotten they are made in the image of God. I realize, that like Adam and Eve, I struggle with sin and fail at times (cf. Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 3:23); however, I must never forget that God considers me special as He made me in His image and sent His Son to die for my sins so I can have the opportunity to live with Him forever. Today, I rejoice that I am made in the image of God!
“For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:5-6).