20 self acceptance questions ???????

1
20 self acceptance questions ???????
1.      Did God determine the details of my
physical appearance before I was born
??????????????????????
2.      Does God allow birth defects and
deformities ?????????????
3.      Did Christ come to heal me from all
physical sickness ??????????????
4.      Would a loving God allow an obedient
Christian to be severely scarred in an accident
?????????????????????????
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20 self acceptance questions ???????
5.      Is it true that because of my sin nature
my body is evil ??????????????
6.      Did God ever exclude anyone from service
because of a physical defect ??????????????????
7.      Do severe defects diminish my ability to
have a happy life ????????????????????
8.      Can defects which are caused by my sin or
carelessness have the same spiritual benefit as
birth defects ?????????????????????????????
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20 self acceptance questions
9.      Is the major cause of inferiority the
awareness of a personal defect ??????????????????
10.   Does God expect me to accept my facial
appearance just as it is ????????????????
11.   Can I ever expect God to supernaturally
remove defects ????????????????
12.   Is rejecting myself the same as rejecting
God ????????????
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20 self acceptance questions
13.   Is ridicule most effectively handled by
ignoring it ??????????????????
14.   Is it possible to cover up self-rejection
????????????
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20 self acceptance questions
15.   Although Christ was perfect, was He
afflicted with difficult unchangeable features?
16.   Do my clothes indicate a measure of my
self-acceptance?
17.   Should I strive for self-acceptance to
improve my self-confidence?
18.   Must I know my spiritual gift in order to
fully accept myself?
19.   If I like myself, does it mean that I have
accepted myself?
20.   Once I accept myself, do I solve the
problem of self-rejection?
6
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.1 God prescribed me before I was born

• Psalms 13916 your eyes saw my unformed body. All
  the days ordained for me were written in your
  book before one of them came to be.

1.2 God knew me before conception

• Jeremiah 15 "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."

7
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.3 God treated me as a person before my
birth

• Isaiah 491 Listen to me, you islands hear this,
  you distant nations Before I was born the LORD
  called me from my birth he has made mention of
  my name.

1.4 God formed me to fulfill His purpose

• Isaiah 495 And now the LORD says-- he who formed
  me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob
  back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I
  am honored in the eyes of the LORD and my God has
  been my strength--

8
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.5 God fashioned me in the womb

• Job 108-9 "Your hands shaped me and made me.
  Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that
  you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to
  dust again?

• Isaiah 442 This is what the LORD says-- he who
  made you, who formed you in the womb, and who
  will help you Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my
  servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

• Isaiah 4424 "This is what the LORD says-- your
  Redeemer, who formed you in the womb I am the
  LORD, who has made all things, who alone
  stretched out the heavens, who spread out the
  earth by myself,

9
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.6 Possible Symptoms of Self-Rejection

• Inappropriate attempts to hid defects

• Need for things or titles as status symbol

• Over-attention to clothes

• Change of hair color

• Inability to trust God

• Conformity to fads

• Self-criticism

• Inability to love others

• Excessive shyness and self-consciousness

10
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.6 Possible Symptoms of Self-Rejection
(contd)

• Wishful comparison with others (2 Cor 1012)

• Attitudes of superiority and sophistication

• Mocking physical features in others (2 King
  223-24)

• Disabling fear of failure

• Continuous underachievement

• Name dropping

• Social climbing

• Inability to accept a life partner

11
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.6 Possible Symptoms of Self-Rejection
(contd)

• Extravagance in purchasing items

• Flattery of admired people

• Living beyond my income

• Hypersensitivity to criticism

• Fishing for compliments

• Neglect of appearance or bodily care

• Boisterous or argumentative behavior

• Criticism of other people

12
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.6 Possible Symptoms of Self-Rejection
(contd)

• Inability to give compliments

• Inability to receive compliments

• Downgrading my personal abilities

• Flirting with the opposite sex

• Overdone makeup

• Use of elevator shoes

• Excessive talking

• Preoccupation with diets

13
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.6 Possible Symptoms of Self-Rejection
(contd)

• Forcing my children to excel

• Poor eye contact

• Need for constant approval

• Comparison of unchangeable features

• Rejection of family or background

• Bizarre actions or statements

• Exaggeration of achievements

• Neglect of family to please others

• Violation of standards to be popular

14
1 Did God determine the details of my physical
appearance before I was born?
1.7 What are Gods unchangeables?
a. My Parents
b. My Time in History (Esther 414)
c. My racial background (Gal 328-29)
d. My national heritage
e. My gender (Deut 225)
f. My birth order
g. My brothers and sisters
h. My physical features
i. My mental abilities (1 Cor 127)
j. My aging and death (Psalm 9010,12)
15
2 Does God allow birth defects and deformities?
Was not Gods creation of men and women perfect?
What caused the physical defects?
- negligence, aggression, or failure of other
people.
- willful disobedience brought about spiritual
and physical deformity, disability, and death

• Exodus 411 The LORD said to him, "Who gave man
  his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives
  him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the
  LORD?

• Isaiah 459 "Woe to him who quarrels with his
  Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the
  potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the
  potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work
  say, 'He has no hands'?

16
2 Does God allow birth defects and deformities?

• Exodus 205 You shall not bow down to them or
  worship them for I, the LORD your God, am a
  jealous God, punishing the children for the sin
  of the fathers to the third and fourth generation
  of those who hate me,

• John 93 either this man nor his parents sinned,"
  said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work
  of God might be displayed in his life.

Gods purpose?
- to conform to image of Christ

• Romans 828-29 And we know that in all things God
  works for the good of those who love him, who
  have been called according to his purpose. For
  those God foreknew he also predestined to be
  conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he
  might be the firstborn among many brothers.

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2 Does God allow birth defects and deformities?
Defects (temporal physical features) can be a
reminder of my need to obey the Lord, to conform
to His image (eternal).

• 2 Cor 128  Three times I pleaded with the Lord
  to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My
  grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
  perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all
  the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
  Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for
  Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in
  insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
  difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am
  strong.

18
3 Did Christ come to heal all my physical
sickness?
3 kinds of sickness
1. Sickness unto death

• Romans 512  Therefore, just as sin entered the
  world through one man, and death through sin, and
  in this way death came to all men, because all
  sinned

• Heb 927  Just as man is destined to die once,
  and after that to face judgment,

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3 Did Christ come to heal all my physical
sickness?
2. Sickness unto chastisement

• 1 Cor 1128-32 A man ought to examine himself
  before he eats of the bread and drinks of the
  cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without
  recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks
  judgment on himself. That is why many among you
  are weak and sick, and a number of you have
  fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we
  would not come under judgment. When we are judged
  by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we
  will not be condemned with the world.

20
3 Did Christ come to heal all my physical
sickness?
2. Sickness unto chastisement (contd)
5 areas to examine

• a. Examine my thoughts
• 2 Cor 105  We demolish arguments and every
  pretension that sets itself up against the
  knowledge of God, and we take captive every
  thought to make it obedient to Christ.

• b. Examine my words and promises
• Matt 1236-37  But I tell you that men will have
  to give account on the day of judgment for every
  careless word they have spoken. For by your words
  you will be acquitted, and by your words you will
  be condemned."

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3 Did Christ come to heal all my physical
sickness?
2. Sickness unto chastisement (contd)
5 areas to examine

• c. Examine my actions
• 2 Cor 510  For we must all appear before the
  judgment seat of Christ, that each one may
  receive what is due him for the things done while
  in the body, whether good or bad.

• d. Examine my motives
• Jer 1710  "I the LORD search the heart and
  examine the mind, to reward a man according to
  his conduct, according to what his deeds
  deserve."

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3 Did Christ come to heal all my physical
sickness?
2. Sickness unto chastisement (contd)
5 areas to examine

• e. Examine my food and drink
• 1 Cor 316  Don't you know that you yourselves
  are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in
  you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will
  destroy him for God's temple is sacred, and you
  are that temple.

23
3 Did Christ come to heal all my physical
sickness?
3. Sickness for the glory of God

• John 114  When he heard this, Jesus said, "This
  sickness will not end in death. No, it is for
  God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified
  through it."

• John 92  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who
  sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born
  blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents
  sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that
  the work of God might be displayed in his life.

Christ came to heal me from all the diseases of
my souls
24
4 Would a loving God allow an obedient Christian
to be severely scarred in an accident?

• 2 Corinthians 127 To keep me from becoming
  conceited because of these surpassingly great
  revelations, there was given me a thorn in my
  flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

God may sacrifice outward beauty in order to
develop inward character

• 2 Corinthians 416-18 Therefore we do not lose
  heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet
  inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our
  light and momentary troubles are achieving for us
  an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So
  we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what
  is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but
  what is unseen is eternal.

25
5 Is that true that because of my sin nature my
body is evil?
We are created in Gods image

• Genesis 127 So God created man in his own image,
  in the image of God he created him male and
  female he created them.

• Psalms 13914 I praise you because I am fearfully
  and wonderfully made your works are wonderful, I
  know that full well.

We are desperately wicked

• Jeremiah 179 The heart is deceitful above all
  things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

• Romans 718 I know that nothing good lives in me,
  that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the
  desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it
  out.

26
5 Is that true that because of my sin nature my
body is evil?
Sinful Nature

• Romans 85,8 Those who live according to the
  sinful nature have their minds set on what that
  nature desires but those who live in accordance
  with the Spirit have their minds set on what the
  Spirit desires Those controlled by the sinful
  nature cannot please God.

27
5 Is that true that because of my sin nature my
body is evil?
Satan hates my body and wants us to do the same

• I Corinthians 316-17 Don't you know that you
  yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit
  lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple,
  God will destroy him for God's temple is sacred,
  and you are that temple.

• I Corinthians 615 Do you not know that your
  bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I
  then take the members of Christ and unite them
  with a prostitute? Never!

• Romans 613 Do not offer the parts of your body
  to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather
  offer yourselves to God, as those who have been
  brought from death to life and offer the parts
  of your body to him as instruments of
  righteousness.

28
5 Is that true that because of my sin nature my
body is evil?
How can I overcome satans attack

• Present my body to God - Romans 121 Therefore, I
  urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to
  offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and
  pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of
  worship.

• Yield my members as servants - Romans 619 I put
  this in human terms because you are weak in your
  natural selves. Just as you used to offer the
  parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to
  ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in
  slavery to righteousness leading to holiness.

• Discipline my body daily - I Corinthians 927 No,
  I beat my body and make it my slave so that after
  I have preached to others, I myself will not be
  disqualified for the prize.

• Keep my body a holy temple - I Corinthians 317
  If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy
  him for God's temple is sacred, and you are that
  temple.

29
6 Did God exclude anyone from service because of
physical defect?
Leviticus 2117-23 "Say to Aaron 'For the
generations to come none of your descendants who
has a defect may come near to offer the food of
his God. No man who has any defect may come near
no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or
deformed no man with a crippled foot or hand, or
who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye
defect, or who has festering or running sores or
damaged testicles. No descendant of Aaron the
priest who has any defect is to come near to
present the offerings made to the LORD by fire.
He has a defect he must not come near to offer
the food of his God. He may eat the most holy
food of his God, as well as the holy food yet
because of his defect, he must not go near the
curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate
my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them
holy.'"
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6 Did God exclude anyone from service because of
physical defect?
II Corinthians 129 But he said to me, "My grace
is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all
the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ's power may rest on me.
31
7 Do severe defects diminish my ability to have a
happy life?
Attractive people tend to be more unhappy

• Saul

1 Sam 92 He had a son named Saul, an impressive
young man without equal among the Israelites--a
head taller than any of the others.
1 Sam 921 Saul answered, "But am I not a
Benjamite, from the smallest tribe of Israel, and
is not my clan the least of all the clans of the
tribe of Benjamin? Why do you say such a thing to
me?"
1 Sam 1022  So they inquired further of the
LORD, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD
said, "Yes, he has hidden himself among the
baggage."
32
7 Do severe defects diminish my ability to have a
happy life?
1 Sam 1616 Let our lord command his servants
here to search for someone who can play the harp.
He will play when the evil spirit from God comes
upon you, and you will feel better."

• Absalom

2 Sam 1425 In all Israel there was not a man so
highly praised for his handsome appearance as
Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of
his foot there was no blemish in him.
2 Sam 156 Absalom behaved in this way toward all
the Israelites who came to the king asking for
justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of
Israel.
33
7 Do severe defects diminish my ability to have a
happy life?
Attractive people tend to be more unhappy because
- They are exposed to more temptation
- They often doubt their attractiveness
- They resent the motives of their admirer
- They fear comparison and aging
Beautitudes Blessed (how happy and spiritually
prosperous) are the
34
8 Can defects which are caused by my sin be
spiritual benefit?
Consequences to sin
Genesis 316-18 To the woman he said, "I will
greatly increase your pains in childbearing with
pain you will give birth to children. Your desire
will be for your husband, and he will rule over
you." To Adam he said, "Because you listened to
your wife and ate from the tree about which I
commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed
is the ground because of you through painful
toil you will eat of it all the days of your
life. It will produce thorns and thistles for
you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
These consequences should turn into daily
reminders which will greatly benefit my spiritual
life.
35
9 Is the major cause of inferiority the awareness
of a personal defect?
Comparison - II Corinthians 1012 We do not dare
to classify or compare ourselves with some who
commend themselves. When they measure themselves
by themselves and compare themselves with
themselves, they are not wise.
Must not compare in

• Physical appearance

• Mental abilities

• Family characteristics

• Social heritage

Inferiority is caused not by a defect, but by the
lack of a positive, Scriptural meaning for the
defect.
36
10 Does God expect me to accept my facial
appearance just as it is?
Proverbs 1513 A happy heart makes the face
cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.
Daniel 115 At the end of the ten days they
looked healthier and better nourished than any of
the young men who ate the royal food.
My countenance is one of my most important means
of expressing Christs love and truth to others.
Because of this, I should evaluate whether facial
blemishes or defects are distracting from my
words and whether they can be corrected.
The purpose of any facial correction should not
be to make me more attractive but to decrease
distractions from the message that God wants to
communicate through me.
37
11 Can I ever expect God to supernaturally remove
defects?
If I have thanked God for an unchangeable defect,
turned it into a mark of ownership, and used it
as a motivation to build inward character, God
may choose to supernaturally remove it if it will
proves to be a distraction to others or a
hindrance to His work through me.
38
12 Is rejecting myself the same as rejecting God?

• Ephesians 210 For we are God's workmanship,
  created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
  God prepared in advance for us to do.

• Ephesians 529 After all, no one ever hated his
  own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as
  Christ does the church.

Rejecting myself ? rejecting Gods design ?
cannot trust God for the future.
39
13 Is ridicule most effectively handled by
ignoring it?
Those who mock my unchangeable features are not
mocking me they are mocking my Maker. Mocked ?
humility ? grace from God

• 1 Peter 39 Do not repay evil with evil or insult
  with insult, but with blessing, because to this
  you were called so that you may inherit a
  blessing.

• Romans 1214 Bless those who persecute you bless
  and do not curse.

• Matthew 512 Rejoice and be glad, because great
  is your reward in heaven, for in the same way
  they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

40
13 Is ridicule most effectively handled by
ignoring it?

• II King 223-24 From there Elisha went up to
  Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some
  youths came out of the town and jeered at him.
  "Go on up, you baldhead!" they said. "Go on up,
  you baldhead!" He turned around, looked at them
  and called down a curse on them in the name of
  the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods
  and mauled forty-two of the youths.

41
14 Is it possible to cover up self-rejection?
Judges 111 127 (Story of Jephthah)
111-7 Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty
warrior. His father was Gilead his mother was a
prostitute. Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and
when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah
away. "You are not going to get any inheritance
in our family," they said, "because you are the
son of another woman." So Jephthah fled from his
brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a
group of adventurers gathered around him and
followed him. Some time later, when the Ammonites
made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to
get Jephthah from the land of Tob. "Come," they
said, "be our commander, so we can fight the
Ammonites." Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you
hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why
do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?"
42
14 Is it possible to cover up self-rejection?
Judges 111 127 (Story of Jephthah)
118-11 The elders of Gilead said to him,
"Nevertheless, we are turning to you now come
with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be
our head over all who live in Gilead." Jephthah
answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the
Ammonites and the LORD gives them to me--will I
really be your head?" The elders of Gilead
replied, "The LORD is our witness we will
certainly do as you say." So Jephthah went with
the elders of Gilead, and the people made him
head and commander over them. And he repeated all
his words before the LORD in Mizpah.
43
14 Is it possible to cover up self-rejection?
Judges 111 127 (Story of Jephthah)
1130-31,34-35 And Jephthah made a vow to the
LORD "If you give the Ammonites into my hands,
whatever comes out of the door of my house to
meet me when I return in triumph from the
Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will
sacrifice it as a burnt offering." When
Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who
should come out to meet him but his daughter,
dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an
only child. Except for her he had neither son nor
daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes
and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me
miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow
to the LORD that I cannot break."
44
14 Is it possible to cover up self-rejection?
Judges 111 127 (Story of Jephthah)
121-4a The men of Ephraim called out their
forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to
Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites
without calling us to go with you? We're going to
burn down your house over your head." Jephthah
answered, "I and my people were engaged in a
great struggle with the Ammonites, and although I
called, you didn't save me out of their hands.
When I saw that you wouldn't help, I took my life
in my hands and crossed over to fight the
Ammonites, and the LORD gave me the victory over
them. Now why have you come up today to fight
me?" Jephthah then called together the men of
Gilead and fought against Ephraim.
45
15 Although perfect, was Christ afflicted with
difficulty unchangeable features?
How can I be thankful for parents who are
constantly fighting? __ __ __
How can I see benefit in losing my father? __ __
__
How can I thank God for a physical defect that is
a constant source of embarrassment? __ __ __
How can I be thankful for a mental disability? __
__ __
How can I look at signs of aging with
gratefulness? __ __ __
46
15 Although perfect, was Christ afflicted with
difficulty unchangeable features?
A. This is my motivation to learn Gods
principles of marriage harmony for myself and
others.
B. This is a daily reminder to me that my body
was made and redeemed by God and belongs to Him.
C. This is to remind me that my years are few and
every day must count for God.
D. This is to encourage me to become mighty in
Gods spirit.
E. This is my opportunity to learn and give
genuine love to those who are in special need.
F. This is Gods way of getting me to focus on my
Heavenly Father as Christ did while on earth.
G. This is Gods special classroom to learn
patience, self-control, and discretion.
47
15 Although perfect, was Christ afflicted with
difficulty unchangeable features?
H. This is my signal to become more mature and
accept new responsibilities in the home.
I. This is Gods way of giving me more grace
through humility, so that I can experience
Christs beauty.
J. This is my motivation to meditate on Gods
Word, which makes wise the simple.
K. This brings me into a unique relationship with
God because He is a Father to the fatherless.
L. This is designed to encourage me to develop
inward character such as joy, peace, and
gentleness.
M. This is Gods way of reminding me to prepare
for eternity, when I will get a new body.
48
15 Although perfect, was Christ afflicted with
difficulty unchangeable features?
N. This is my opportunity to let God show how He
uses what the world calls foolishness to confound
the wise.
O. This is Gods reminder of the continuing
consequences of disobeying His Word.
49
15 Although perfect, was Christ afflicted with
difficulty unchangeable features?
Marks of Ownership

• If I could change one thing about myself, it
  would be the circumstances of my birth. My mother
  was a harlot consequently, I was rejected by my
  whole family.

• I had an unchangeable physical feature which
  resulted in public mocking. I also contracted an
  incurable sickness from which I died.

• My mark of ownership was a halting limp. It was
  caused by the shrinking of the sinew upon the
  hollow of my thigh.

• If I could have selected the members of my
  family, I would have chosen different brothers.
  The ones I had were very wicked and treated me
  cruelly.

50
15 Although perfect, was Christ afflicted with
difficulty unchangeable features?
Marks of Ownership

• I pleaded with the Lord three times to remove my
  infirmity. Finally, God explained that it was my
  mark of ownership.

• My unchangeable physical feature was my size. I
  was very short of stature. I experienced
  situations which were difficult because of it.

• Even though I had special training, I felt very
  inferior and inadequate because of a speech
  problem which I had throughout my life.

• I lost my father as I was growing up. This caused
  me to need extra reassurance when I was given a
  task that I thought was too big for me.

Jacob, Paul, Moses, Zacchaeus, Timothy, Elisha,
Jephthah, Joseph
51
16 Do my clothes indicate a measure of my
self-acceptance?
4 Purposes of clothing

• For modesty - I Timothy 29 I also want women to
  dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not
  with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive
  clothes,

• For differentiation - Deuteronomy 225 A woman
  must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear
  women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests
  anyone who does this.

• For protection cold, rain, insect bites,
  uncleanliness, cuts,

• For symbolism - Numbers 1538-39 "Speak to the
  Israelites and say to them 'Throughout the
  generations to come you are to make tassels on
  the corners of your garments, with a blue cord on
  each tassel. You will have these tassels to look
  at and so you will remember all the commands of
  the LORD, that you may obey them and not
  prostitute yourselves by going after the lusts of
  your own hearts and eyes.

52
17 Should I strive for self-acceptance to improve
my self-confidence?

• Philippians 33 For it is we who are the
  circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of
  God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no
  confidence in the flesh-

• Galatians 220 I have been crucified with Christ
  and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The
  life I live in the body, I live by faith in the
  Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

53
18 Must I know my spiritual gift in order to
fully accept myself?
How gifts overcome inferiority

• I Corinthians 1215-16 If the foot should say,
  "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the
  body," it would not for that reason cease to be
  part of the body. And if the ear should say,
  "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the
  body," it would not for that reason cease to be
  part of the body.

• I Corinthians 1223 and the parts that we think
  are less honorable we treat with special honor.
  And the parts that are unpresentable are treated
  with special modesty,

• I Corinthians 1226 If one part suffers, every
  part suffers with it if one part is honored,
  every part rejoices with it.

54
18 Must I know my spiritual gift in order to
fully accept myself?
How gifts conquer superiority

• I Corinthians 1221 The eye cannot say to the
  hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say
  to the feet, "I don't need you!"

• I Corinthians 1222 On the contrary, those parts
  of the body that seem to be weaker are
  indispensable,

• I Corinthians 1224 while our presentable parts
  need no special treatment. But God has combined
  the members of the body and has given greater
  honor to the parts that lacked it,

• I Corinthians 1225 so that there should be no
  division in the body, but that its parts should
  have equal concern for each other.

55
19 If I like myself, does it mean that I have
accepted myself?
Self-acceptance is far deeper than simply liking
myself. In fact, it is really not related to
liking myself at all! Self-acceptance is seeing
Gods design for me and understanding the purpose
of each feature which He has brought into my life.
56
20 Once I accept myself, do I solve the problem
of self-rejection?
Philippians 16 being confident of this, that he
who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus.