Tim Keller, in his great little book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness (a sermon on 1 Cor. 3:21-4:7) describes the one who, through encountering the gospel, leaves behind the categories of low or high self-esteem and moves into a new territory.
This is off our maps. We are not used to someone who has incredible confidence volunteering the opinion that they are the worst of people. We are not used to someone who is totally honest and totally aware of all sorts of moral flaws – yet has incredible poise and confidence.
Are we talking about high self-esteem? No. So is it low self-esteem. Certainly not. It is not about self-esteem.
I see the same thing happening in Mark 7:24-30 as the Syrophoenician woman encounters Jesus.
You see she doesn’t have high self-esteem or low-self-esteem – she doesn’t think she’s wonderful – she comes as a beggar – but on the other hand she doesn’t think ‘Jesus won’t be interested in me I’ll just stay at home and go to hell.’ She comes as a beggar but she does come and she comes confidently, persistently, she won’t be put off. She’s a feisty woman. She doesn’t have high self-esteem or low-self-esteem and the secret is she just focusses on Jesus – the Bread – that is the secret – focus on Jesus the bread of life. He has come for you – in your spiritual hunger and helplessness and hopelessness and death he has come to be the bread of life for you to eat.
fidelnyikuri
iServe Africa Webmaster
Utumishi Blog 
I agree totally. That it is indeed beyond self-esteem. What sometimes we call self esteem is actually pride of life and most of the time the “self-esteem” is drawn fro ourselves and our efforts of positive thinking. Thanks a lot Andy for posting this. The gospel is very counter-cultural and most of the times shedding what we have grown up believing is hard but the gospel continues to unsettle us and keep pointing us to Jesus Christ.
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