The Lies You Tell Yourself vs. What God Says About You

I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. Psalm 139:14 NASB

When you glanced in the mirror this morning, did you cringe just a little bit?

Maybe it’s not just about appearance—maybe you feel like you’ll never measure up. The thought creeps in: “I’m not good enough—I’ll never be enough.” Self-hatred doesn’t always look like obvious self-loathing. Sometimes, it’s so normal we don’t even notice it. Maybe you see every supposed flaw in your looks. Maybe when you make a mistake, you instantly call yourself stupid. These thoughts feel automatic, but they shape how we see ourselves and live our lives. The first step to freedom is noticing them.

No one knew this feeling better than Ava. No matter how much she accomplished, she felt like an imposter—she’d never be the son that her father had wanted before he left her and her mom. One day, a friend challenged her: “You’d never speak to others the way you speak to yourself!” Ava began to realize that she had spent years tearing herself down like no one else. The more she paid attention, the more she saw how often she spoke to herself with criticism instead of kindness.

God always speaks to us with kindness. The Bible says that “… we are God’s masterpiece” (Ephesians 2:10a). There is nothing about you that is an accident. God created you with intention, and He delights in you—not just when you perform well, but simply because you are His.

So, when self-hating thoughts come, ask: Would God say this about me? Instead of, “I’m a failure and I’ll never be good enough,” loudly say, with the writer of the Bible’s Psalms, “I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14 NASB).