Title Beyond Pride/Matthew 15:21-28
Content Beyond Self-Esteem / Matthew 15:21-28
Key Verse: “Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Woman, great is your faith, and it will be done for you as you wish.’ And from that hour her daughter was healed” (verse 28).
Word: Sometimes I feel hurt because my self-esteem is hurt. However, if you meditate on what causes your self-esteem to suffer, you will find that it is a surprisingly simple problem. It's because I value my self-esteem more than friendship, family relationships, and peace. In severe cases, my pride is often more important than the Lord. It means that these things can happen in us and in our lives without us even realizing it.
People who have scars on their appearance often have their self-esteem hurt about their appearance. People with money scars often have a bad self-esteem about money. To a beautiful woman, saying that she is ugly is not a big deal. That's because it doesn't hurt the appearance. That's right. Wounds attack your self-esteem.
Let's meditate on today's Word again. I can't help but be surprised when I read today's words. The words of the Lord who are kind, gentle, and loving are unbelievable. He treats a foreign woman who came to heal her daughter with a cold treatment that is no different from that of the Jews at the time. In the Gospel of Mark, he compared him to a ‘dog’. Why did our Lord do that? Perhaps this woman is quite proud of herself. In particular, it seems that the wounds against the Jews acted as pride.
However, this woman boldly confesses to the Lord's attitude. "It is true, Lord, but even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." You did. That's right. The faith that the Lord wants is to trust and love the Lord more than self-esteem. If I disobey because of my pride, my pride will soon become an idol. It varies from person to person, but there are people who say, “Even if I can tolerate everything else, I can’t stand anything that hurts my pride.” But for most of these people, there are a lot of things that must hurt their self-esteem. These people often destroy relationships because of their pride and throw away their jobs. There are many cases where we fall into a quagmire that cannot be resolved without meeting the Lord, who is more precious than our pride.
That's right. The reality and evidence of our faith can only be revealed when we confess that the Lord is more precious than our pride. Pride! This must not be ahead of the Lord.
Prayer: There are many things that suffer from self-esteem issues, and sometimes hurt. Help us discover the Lord today who is more precious than our pride. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Lord's Prayer