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"All this offense comes from years and years of
victimization that has led to what I see as an inferiority complex due to
misplaced and misunderstood identities."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 210.
Back when I was growing up a lot of attention was placed on self esteem. The worry was that kids were thinking less and less of themselves and that might impact how well we would be able to adjust to adult life. Wow, how that exercise in self awareness backfired!
I believe much of the ravages that we face from our Victim-Based Society today doesn't come from thinking too little of ourselves but quite the opposite. Who of us today doesn't think a bit too much about ourselves? Not only do we spend a lot of time worrying about ourselves, we spend exorbitant amounts of time telling the rest of the world about our lives. Thanks to social media, our every thought is available in near real time for all the world to ponder.
Strange thing is that I have learned self esteem and the feeling of inferiority are two radically different things in our lives. Where self esteem can lead to an over focus on self, inferiority is something that makes it hard to see ourselves as a victor at all. Victim thinking is the by product of inferiority due to the fact that inferiority is really all about identity.
When we are hit with wave after wave of challenging times in our lives we can begin to believe that victim hood is just part of who we are. It is when we allow victimization to become part of our identity that victim thinking ways allow inferiority to influence our lives.
There is an interesting distinguishing feature between self esteem and inferiority. Self esteem happens as we look inward and find contentment. Inferiority happens when we look on the outside at our circumstances and are discontent. Inferiority comes as we compare our situation with others around us and condemn ourselves for not living a life like they have.
Comparison to others is such a waste of time in the life of a victor. A friend of mine says this about comparison to others, "We get ourselves into trouble when we compare our insides to the outsides of those around us." When we are feeling down about our situation it can be so easy to look around and see what looks to be the happiness and well-being of others. Thing is that we don't know what the insides of others are like unless they let us in to that private place. Even the most happy and well adjusted person on the outside has demons on the inside that threaten to allow victim thinking to take over in their life as well.
When we compare our life to the lives of those around us it can be so easy to feel inferior. This is particularly the case when we have to face a string of bad things coming against our lives. It can feel like we are just doomed to failure at every turn. We can take on a down-trodden attitude about our life that makes it so easy to forget who we really are in the eyes of God. Identities suffer greatly when circumstances of life makes us feel we are nothing to this God that is suppose to love us so.
Jeremiah was a prophet of God who had a bit of an inferior complex. Prophets of the Old Testament were the only people of the time who heard God speak. Things are so different for us thanks to Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now everyone has the opportunity to hear God's voice. I'm so glad to be alive now rather than during the time of Jeremiah.
As God was showing Jeremiah the big job he had to communicate what God wanted the people to hear he started to think he wasn't up for the challenge. Surely there were others more qualified then he to get this job done. Inferiority can get us so paralyzed with fear that we can miss the amazing chances God places before us to see His powerful hand move in and through our lives. God saw Jeremiah doubting his identity and said this amazing thing to His precious child.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)
"Before I formed you in the womb, I KNEW YOU...!" The fact that God has always known me is such a comforting thought to me. There is no doubt about who I am in God's eyes. That's what I need to start believing more and more in my life in order to let my victor status have the power God wants to flow in to my spheres of influence. It isn't my talents and my abilities that make a difference, it is who I am in God's eyes that has the power for change in my world.
That's an inferiority buster in my life. Knowing that God knows me is such a confidence builder. It means that my situation, good or bad, is exactly where God can best use me for His glory to be seen in ways my abilities will never be able to match. It means that my insides are just as good as the outsides of those I want to compare my self to. It means that I'm OK, I'm perfectly made, I'm loved and I'm purposed with a God sized destiny that is completely up to Him to being about. Contentment is the light at the end of the tunnel when I consider my position from the standpoint of the fact that God Knows Me!
Today you have the chance to live life with authority. How can I say that? Our reading says that God appointed Jeremiah as prophet to the nations. The same is just as true in your life. You have been appointed. Appointed to what? That's what this powerful walk you and God are on in this journey called life is all about. Discovering your purpose is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment thing. It can be frustrating to think that not knowing the fullness of your purpose seems to be so debilitating as you compare your life to others who seem to know their purpose so well. Truth is we all are on this same journey.
Stop comparing your insides to the outsides of others. Stop feeling inferior because of what you see as compared to what you feel. You are known by God. You have been appointed. He has set you apart as His Child and that is all you need to live fully as the victor He has called you to today.
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