You have Potential. Failure is not Final.

 A young woman went to see a psychiatrist. She told him she was schizophrenic and hoped he could help her. After a long conversation, the psychiatrist realised that she was not schizophrenic at all. Her family had imposed this false identity on her as a child.

I had eczema as a small child. I always had to wear gloves and my parents tied my hands to the side of my cot. Otherwise, I would scratch and tear my skin terribly.

Gradually the eczema disappeared, but then I was nervous, hyperactive and clumsy, even though I was intelligent.

Years later, I often visited a school friend. He recently told me how I accidentally spilt a jug of water not just once, but often.

My father encouraged me and I became a good chess player and learnt to appreciate classical music. I studied English literature and German, but in practical matters I kept making silly mistakes. My father was then irritated and critical.

Later I wanted to learn how to use a computer, but with little success.

Then, nearly 30 years ago, I wanted to study the Bible intensively. A friend of mine was studying at a Bible school. He told me that I absolutely needed a computer. That was in 1996.
I bought a computer and resolutely dedicated myself to mastering Windows 95. It wasn't child's play for me, but I didn't give up.

I worked as a language teacher for years. Through diligent effort, I developed my computer skills to the point where I could help my colleagues.

The idea that I was a technical idiot was deeply rooted in my childhood, but I was determined to overcome it. I've been using my computer every day for more than 20 years. I am a blogger and communicate with many people in other countries.

Were you given a false identity from an early age? Did you always hear that you were a failure, an idiot or perhaps mentally disturbed?

At school and at work, we always find cruel people who sense our insecurities and want to exploit them. Maybe that's why you experience bullying and are constantly put down.

None of this comes from God. God created you in his own image.

My mother was always put down by her mother. She went to university but failed miserably. Years later, she found help from a therapist. When she was 60, she went back to university. A few years later, she graduated. She wasn't really a failure.

God is your creator. He has a plan for every person. He doesn't create failures, idiots, mentally disturbed people.

You may be repeating the same negative thoughts about yourself over and over again. Please stop doing that!
Instead, keep repeating God's truth.

God created me and God does not create failures!

God created you for a good purpose. Ask God to show you how He sees you. You have potential.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jer 29:11 NKJV

With God as your guide, your potential can become reality. Even your weaknesses can become strengths.

Failure is not final. A well known American writer said: I failed my way to success.

You can’t earn your salvation. Jesus paid the penalty for your sins on the cross.

But Jesus did not accomplish everything for you so that you could accomplish nothing.

Should you love yourself?

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NLT

God loves you and me. We have all gone wrong. We are all unworthy sinners, we need God's forgiveness. Without God's forgiveness, we must always strive to hide our shame and disguise our failures.

You and I have a longing for love, but we always doubt whether we can be lovable.

Many react with exaggerated self-centredness. Religious Christianity has therefore rejected all self-love as sin. Many strive to resist self-love. They try to love others, but not to love themselves.

But this does not work well.

We learn from social science that many patients visit a doctor, get a prescription, but they don't buy the medicine. Others buy the medicine but don’t take it. Then there are others who take the medicine but take it incorrectly, or forget to take it when they are in a hurry.

(Peterson, Jordan B.. 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote for Chaos. Kindle Edition.)

Why do we neglect our own health? Because of a lack of genuine, healthy self-love.
But social scientists have revealed an even more astonishing finding.

When they get a prescription from the vet, almost all people are very reliable and use the medicine just right.

Jesus tells us to love ourselves. But no! Really?

... ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ … Mk 12:31 NLT

But many preachers have always claimed that we all love ourselves too much. We must therefore endeavour not to love ourselves.

And the very many people who despair and commit suicide, do they really love themselves?
So many people do not respect themselves, do not care for themselves, do not protect themselves.

Yes, there are people who seem to worship themselves, but there are also so many who hate or despise themselves.

I visited a church in Germany where the preacher was praying with longing for revival. He once asked God why the long-awaited revival had not yet come.
He told us that God had given him an amazing answer.

We are still waiting for revival because so many Christians do not love themselves.

I once had a problem because a pastor had arrogantly dominated me.

Again and again I thought how I should have resisted his domination. Anger and resentment kept surfacing in me. Then I repented each time. I prayed to God for forgiveness. I proclaimed my forgiveness for the pastor.

But a few days later, the anger resurfaced.

Then I gave up the fight. I simply told God:
``Dear God. You see my thoughts. What do you think about it?
The Holy Spirit answered immediately:
‘’You can't forgive the pastor because you can't forgive yourself. You should have resisted, and you failed. You have to forgive yourself for your failure.
Then I was set free.

It was a lack of self-respect. There is a God-given self-respect. This is an aspect of healthy self-love that Jesus is talking about.

Paul deals with the same topic.

He warns against extreme subservience, which is also an aspect of a lack of self-love.

In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 2 Co 11:20 NIV

Jesus also warns us against authoritarian preachers.

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. Mt 23:8 NIV

Extreme submissiveness is terrible, but rebellion and selfishness are no better.
When a man visits a prostitute, he not only despises the woman, but also himself.

Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 1 Co 6:19 NLT

Healthy self-love is also an antidote to drug addiction and pornography addiction.

You can only love yourself properly if you learn to experience the love of God, if you learn to value yourself as God values you.