“For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh
nothing good dwells;
for to will is present with me,
but how to perform what is good I do not find.”
For the good that I will to do, I do not do;
but the evil I will not to do, that I do.
Romans 7:18-19

One of the sayings of the world is that the root of many problems in the human psyche is “low self-esteem.” The world therefore teaches that the way to “mental health” is to pursue growth in “self esteem.”

The Bible, on the other hand, calls for the humility of recognizing the truth about ourselves, and the truth is that we are NOT great, we are NOT wonderful, and we are NOT worthy. It is one of the greatest human struggles in the face of the truth of God …to come to realize that we are fallen. Sin dwells within us. “There is none righteous, no not one.” -Romans 3:10

The beginning of the healing of the human soul takes place when the sinner bows before his Creator and accepts what the Word of God tells him he really is. And THEN the Lord begins the work of healing and restoration. There is no room for pride in this process, for it involves continual recognition of, and repentance of, our sin as the Holy Spirit reveals it to us.

Happiness does not come from an incorrect evaluation of ourselves. Happiness and peace come from the true admission of our fallen state and the joy of watching the Lord change us. He turns our shack into a palace. And in that is the joy and the peace we so unsuccessfully sought in the teachings of the world.

“The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:9