Even when we’re trying to be righteous, little sins, and sometimes not so little sins, can become a problem. Whether it’s a one-time thing or an on-going cycle, we are affected in a multitude of ways. We stop feeling happy. Our tempers grow short. We feel guilty. We try to avoid any conversations that might link back to the sin we are seeking to hide. Until we repent and forsake the action, we feel miserable.
We can’t feel good about ourselves and yet guilty at the same time, and in this way, sin robs us of our self-esteem. When we feel guilty, when we can’t feel the Spirit, we see ourselves in the worst possible light.
All our true self-image comes from God. The most important image we can have of ourselves is that we are sons and daughters of God in the most literal sense. We are princes and princesses, future kings and queens. Any other self-worth we have pales in comparison, as well it might, because it comes from worldly sources. The world might say, “You’re beautiful.” “You’re successful.” “You’re influential.” All of that is well and good, but it doesn’t last. The lasting, true, eternal worth we possess is that of our souls and our unique beauty before our Heavenly Father, which is made manifest to us through the workings of the Holy Ghost. When we sin, we separate ourselves from the Holy Ghost, and so we lose those feelings of importance.
This creates a vicious cycle. When we feel unworthy, we don’t feel as though we can approach our Heavenly Father. We can’t repent unless we approach Him, and we can’t overcome our sin unless we repent, and so we remain distanced from Him. We continue to feel terrible about ourselves until finally, it’s been so long since we’ve been close to Him, we wonder if there is a way back.
The truth of the matter is, we don’t have to have any special level of worthiness in order to pray. How else do we become worthy, but through prayer? It’s the opposition that would teach us that we should not pray. Prayer brings us closer to Heavenly Father. We cannot overcome our sins and then come to Him – it doesn’t work that way. We must come to Him so we can overcome our sins.
He is waiting for you to reach out to Him. You may feel terrible about yourself right now. He doesn’t – He sees you for who you are, His precious child. Come unto Him and let Him show you just how incredible your potential really is.
Related Blogs:
Your Ward Employment Specialist
Encouraging a Self-Critical Child