Your self-perception is what we call ego. Some people are totally into themselves; they have an inflated ego. Others suffer from a depressed ego and make miserable company. Which one are you? We try to walk the line between modesty and pride but tell the truth: you have a tendency to fall into one camp or the other. The depressed folk are always down on themselves. They are perpetual victims of life and can never catch a break. They paint everything blue. They find themselves caught up in a cycle of self deprivation. Their reality begins to conform to their perception of the world around them in a downward spiral.

The inflated folk have big heads and cant stop talking about how important they are. The world rotates around them and they are easily off put when something dosent go their way. Some begin to believe their own propaganda. The false world that has been built up around them becomes a disappointment: others are to dull to see how bright they are!

Which one of these egos do you struggle with? They are on opposite ends of the spectrum but are rooted in the same false premise. Your identity is not rooted in your relationship with you. Your identity is rooted in your relationship with others. Let me spike that with one more thing: your identity is rooted in your relationship with the rest of the world through Christ.

I understand that this statement defies the concept of ego but hear me out. We should develop a sense of self through our relationships with others. A church leader wrote a bunch of christians and challenged them. He said, "Don't push your way to the front; don't sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand (Phil 2.2-4)." This is where you develop a healthy ego. And let me pull the Jesus card on you: define yourself by how you relate to Christ.