3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
It is so hard in the ‘days of self-esteem’ to have sober judgment. We don’t dare tell kids in school that they are flunking, because that might hurt their feelings. Instead, we pass them on to the next grade, hoping somehow that will fix them. (If you are a school teacher, yours is the hardest job!) But research has proven that self-esteem comes from accomplishing tasks and getting the social support you need. If you want to give kids self-esteem, give them hard tasks and encourage them along the way. Low bars never raised self-esteem. Kids know when the bar has been lowered. The only person you are fooling is yourself. Now on to us adults! How high is the bar you set for yourself? Are you reaching your potential in Jesus, or are you just floating along, doing ‘good enough’ to get by? The only person to measure against is ourselves. This takes an honest spirit-led self-examination. God has the measuring stick for our lives. And His measure is the only one that counts.
The Arnold Journey 