Live up to the strength God shows you

Learning more about God can result in boosting the value you appraise in yourself.¹ There are many ways you can hold yourself in lesser esteem than God does. You might have positive qualities you didn’t know you have, or you might exercise them more fully than you think you do, or when it matters the most, or they might be worth more to God than you think they are. You might possess fewer negative qualities than you think you do, or you might possess qualities that are much better in God’s eyes than they are in yours, or you might exercise them less often than you think you do, or abstain from them when it matters most.

It is important to live up to the strengths he shows you, even if doing so means you have to act differently than those around you. The Lord described David as a man after his own heart.² This is a compliment that all of us would be honored to receive, but it is easy to forget how being like God caused David to be so badly persecuted by so many people—including his own parents, at least one spouse, and some of his children. What would have happened if he acted more like those around him instead of how he believed God to be?

David was a man who was accustomed to acting in ways that were true to himself even though they diverged from what was expected from him. He was a warrior when his brothers and father thought he should be a shepherd. He was a king when assigned to be a knight. He was valiant when his king wanted him to be subordinate. He was passionate in gratitude to God when his wife expected him to be subdued.

David was able to do what David did precisely because of his unique character. Had he fit his life to the expectations of others, he would have had to forfeit everything he accomplished for all in the kingdom, including those who hated him. What would have happened if David had changed his behavior to be more like his brothers in order to please his father who strongly preferred them? What if he pretended to be as scared of Goliath as the other soldiers? What if he had killed fewer Philistines in battle to avoid the jealousy of Saul? What if he had abstained from dancing to the Lord in order to avoid upsetting his wife, Michal? In every case, his service to God and God’s people would have been reduced. Being true to yourself is necessary to bring about what is best for all—including many of those who hate you.

David found the strength to live true to himself in spite of opposition from others because he was emulating the virtues he saw in God. In order to find this same strength, you will need to correctly identify and increase the parts of your personality that are like God. The more you get to know God, and the more like him you become, the easier it will be to stand for what is right, even if you stand alone.