[My Wednesday blogpost series is connected to my 2020 4Q program in which I share my personal responses to the questions raised in the worksheets.]

Think of situations in the past when you based your self-worth on your performance and the opinion of others. How will you think differently about yourself in the future?

Robert S. McGee once pointed out that if Satan had a formula for self-worth it would be when “my performance” plus the “opinion of others” equals “my self-worth.” Think about that for a moment. How often do we base our decisions on what others will think of us? Do we really want to be defined by the sum total of how we perform and what people are saying about us? This leads us to a key question: Who are we really trying to please in our leadership? Who is our primary audience? Will I say what needs to be said if I choose the wrong audience? We either live to serve God as our ultimate “Audience of One” or we try to please people.

Personally, I am often concerned with how well I did after I give a presentation from the stage. I’ll often ask my wife or the host of the event for their opinions. I believe in feedback. I believe it can help me present concepts with greater clarity or work on areas where I am not connecting well with the audience. I believe in excellence. However, there’s a fine line between helpful feedback and seeking applause to shore up my self-worth. I struggle with that. Of course I want my audience to like me. But more than that, I want to impact them with ideas that will bring about positive change for the glory of God. 

Developing a greater self-awareness of this tension is my goal. I want to always be conscious of the fact that I am a channel through whom God can flow. And I can turn off that flow when I make it about me. I want to be constantly aware that my self-worth is ultimately based on who I am in Christ (see Ephesians 1:4 & Romans 8:38-39—I am chosen and loved regardless of my performance) and what God thinks of me (see 2 Corinthians 5:17 & Galatians 3:26—I am a new creation and a son of God).

Now it’s your turn. When have you based your self-worth on your performance and the opinion of others? How will you think differently about yourself in the future? Go ahead, write something down…you are a serving leader!