Searching for High Self-Esteem
Sorrow, Hope, Healing
The musical presentation, Searching for High Self-esteem: Sorrow, Hope, Healing, is a collection of twelve poems that relate to all twelve of the Wings of Glory songs. The inspiration for these poems came to me after many months of patient contemplation about how to write a musical presentation using all the songs from Wings of Glory. One morning I woke up earlier than usual and went into the quiet solitude of my living room to pray, read my scriptures, and write in my journal. As I was sitting there meditating, the ideas for these poems started coming to me. Not only were the words for the poems coming to my mind, but I also had impressions about certain scriptures that should be used to go along with each poem. It was an interesting, creative writing process because I felt I was being inspired with many of the words I was writing down, but not all of them. I was left on my own to figure out how to finish each of the poems. It took me several weeks to complete this project, but this free-verse poetry was what I needed for the musical program I had wanted to create for so long.
Searching
We often go through life searching for high self-esteem,
but we don’t know where to find it.
The real problem is that we aren’t looking
in the right places.
We look outside of ourselves—
instead of inside.
We seek temporary excitement and thrills—
instead of permanent happiness and serenity.
The friends we choose
are a reflection
of our own self-esteem.
When we have discovered high self-esteem
and feel good about ourselves,
we will choose friends
who will help us be
the best we can be.
Unfortunately, some friends
introduce us to a lifetime of addictions
and other types of self-destructive behavior.
Then we find out,
much too late,
that we’ve been deceived—
but God still has the power
to save us.
Say not thou, I will recompense evil,
but wait on the Lord,
and he shall save thee.
—Proverbs 20:22
What Might Have Been
Our self-esteem suffers
when we sell ourselves short.
We sometimes invest
time and money
in things that will not last.
We give up
what might have been
and replace it with years of regret.
We sometimes lose everything we own to
drugs, pornography,
immoral relationships,
gambling, material possessions,
self-centered accumulation of wealth,
and other deceptive illusions of grandeur
that will never satisfy
the spiritual hunger of our souls.
Is there anyone who can help us cross the bridge
from where we are
to where we really want to be?
Is there anyone who can help us find our way?
Is there anyone who can heal our pain and anguish?
Jesus Christ has promised to bring rest to our souls.
All He asks is that we repent of our sins
and come unto Him.
Take my yoke upon you,
and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light.
—Matthew 11:29-30
Blindness
In our search for high self-esteem, we’re often blinded—
blinded by the glittering and glamorous
adventures and accolades
that the world promises to give us.
We lose our many childlike qualities
we were born with,
including our innocent faith
and spiritual sensitivity.
We become hardened over time
and begin walking in darkness—
enduring blindness instead of enjoying sight.
The truth is that we do not have to
remain blind.
When Jesus was on the earth,
he not only healed physical blindness,
but spiritual blindness as well.
He opened eyes. He comforted hearts. He healed souls.
Every person who followed him
left the darkness behind them
as they embraced His new light.
We can do the same.
As we follow our Savior,
we can regain our faith and spiritual sensitivity—
and become truly free.
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying,
I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me
shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life.
—John 8:12
Children
In our haste to try to find ourselves,
we often leave a trail of sorrow behind us,
and our children are left in the dust.
Children suffer the most
from our misguided decisions in life.
Self-centered parenting breeds a lost generation—
a generation of children who are missing the link
that should connect them to the strength of the past.
As adults, we must put aside
our selfish desires for frivolous living,
assume the responsibilities of
time-intensive, dedicated parenting,
and give back to the world
what it really needs—
a new generation of children
who are cherished, nurtured, and loved.
Even Jesus Christ’s own faithful disciples
did not understand
how precious children really are.
But following the pure, sweet example
of these little ones
will help us discover high self-esteem
and lead us back to our eternal home
to live with God once again.
And they brought young children to him,
that he should touch them:
and his disciples rebuked them.
But when Jesus saw it,
he was much displeased, and said unto them,
Suffer the little children to come unto me,
and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
—Mark 10:13-14
The Battle
What can we do?
How can we change?
How can we turn the tide
of what we see going on around us—
and save ourselves in the process?
How can we discover the self-esteem
we were born with years ago?
How can we rediscover heaven’s glories?
How can we feel once again
our Heavenly Father’s love?
How can we understand
who we really are—
and not lose sight of it again?
How can we lift those around us
to a higher plane so they can find out
who they really are?
There is only one way to do this.
We must do it together like soldiers—
in an army with banners.
We have to fight the evil force
that is seeking to destroy
our homes and families.
We know we are going to win this war.
We have Jesus Christ on our side.
For God hath not given us
the spirit of fear; but of power,
and of love, and of a sound mind.
Thou therefore endure hardness,
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
—2 Timothy 1:7, 2:3
Filling the Empty Void
Deep within ourselves
there is an emptiness we often feel,
a longing to know someone really cares.
But as we look at
all of our inadequacies,
all of our mistakes, all of our regrets,
it is difficult to believe
we have much value.
We want to hide who we are from others.
We want to hide who we are from ourselves.
We want to hide who we are even from God.
But we can’t.
God sees all. He knows all.
But he does not reject us.
He has provided a Savior
to heal us from sin and sorrow.
He has also put good people into our lives
who are willing to walk by our sides
as we stumble on the stony paths of life.
We can also reach out to others.
We can share. We can help. We can love.
We can look the other way when someone makes a mistake.
Self-esteem is not based on being perfect.
It is based on being real.
A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another,
as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know
that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another.
—John 13:34-35
True Friends
One by one, we can become strong,
but we cannot do it on our own.
If we stay inside our own little shells,
like a turtle protecting itself
from the outside world,
we will never find out who we really are.
We must take the risk and open up
to someone who cares about us.
It’s sometimes hard to find people
who love us unconditionally.
It’s sometimes hard to find people who really care.
It’s sometimes hard to find people
who will remain loyal at all times.
But when we share our deepest feelings and fears
with a trusted friend,
we will come to understand who we really are.
The journey of finding ourselves
and discovering high self-esteem
includes finding true friends—
and being a true friend in return.
“He is rich who hath two friends.”
There is one true friend we can keep throughout our lives.
It is our Savior.
We are never really alone.
Greater love
hath no man than this,
that a man lay down his life
for his friends.
—John 15:13
Spiritual Gifts
Faith is a beautiful candle that
carries promising light
with a firm determination to always believe.
Hope is a flickering flame that calls out,
“Hold on. . . don’t give up . . . be strong.”
Charity is a gentle hand that
cradles the lighted candle
while caring for the needs of both young and old.
Real faith and hope
instill in us a sincere desire
to be compassionate and charitable
towards all people.
Faith brings hope.
Hope blossoms into charity.
Charity basks in the pure love of Christ.
We can’t embrace one without embracing the others.
These three spiritual gifts
have been promised to us by our
Father in Heaven
or our use here on earth.
As we follow our Savior’s perfect example
and fill our lives with
faith, hope, and charity,
our self-esteem will grow.
And now abideth
faith, hope, charity,
these three;
but the greatest
of these is charity.
Charity never faileth.
—1 Corinthians 13:13, 8
The Atonement
Our self-esteem suffers
when we dwell on all the foolish things
we have done in our lives.
We sometimes feel
like the prodigal son from the Bible
who wasted his inheritance
and no longer felt worthy
to be called his father’s son.
But as this loving father emulated,
our sins can be forgiven through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ.
While we might not understand
exactly how it works,
if we will fervently pray and seek this eternal gift,
the blessings of the Atonement
will come flooding into our lives.
God knew we would make mistakes.
He knew we would struggle
between right and wrong.
He knew we would need a Savior
to help us purify our lives.
God loves us more than we know
and wants us to return to live with Him someday.
There is a way back.
And not only so,
but we also joy in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,
by who we have now received
the atonement.
—Romans 5:11
Purpose of Life
Our self-esteem is a reflection
of our perceptions about ourselves—
which may be completely distorted from reality.
How we perceive ourselves can constantly change
and cause us to be tossed around
like a ship on a turbulent sea
until we find a secure anchor
that will hold us in a safe position.
There is one reliable anchor that we can fasten our lives to
without any fear for the future.
That anchor is Jesus Christ.
As we embrace His teachings,
follow His example,
and begin to emulate His perfect life,
we will be able to feel that everlasting peace
we have been seeking.
God did not send us here to earth without a plan.
There is a purpose to life.
It is up to us
to follow the plan.
Jesus Christ knows the plan.
He is the way.
He is the truth.
He is the Life.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way,
the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me.
—John 14:6
Our Destiny
The greatest knowledge we can gain on this earth,
that will improve our self-esteem
more than anything else,
is the knowledge that we are literal children of God.
We were born to fulfill a divine destiny;
we were born to receive a celestial inheritance;
we were born to find nobility
within ourselves and others.
We need to believe these eternal truths.
There are sometimes fleeting memories
that we can’t quite understand.
There are often quiet whisperings to the soul
that we don’t fully comprehend.
There are beauties in nature
that enthrall us and make us wonder
if heaven will be this beautiful.
The truth is that these beauties
are a bit of heaven—
given to remind us of our first home.
Every sunrise and every sunset
testifies that there is a
God in Heaven who loves us
and is calling us
back home.
How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men
put their trust under the
shadow of thy wings.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament
sheweth his handywork.
—Psalms 36:7, 19:
Circle of Love
To discover high self-esteem,
we must cling to our families.
Each family member
needs to feel included in our circle of love.
If some family members shut us out,
we must still invite them in.
As we continually pray for their welfare,
they will come back when they are ready.
There will always be some type of
challenge or trial within our families.
There will also be great joy.
Each family unit is really just a mini-society
existing among millions of other mini-societies.
What we do with our own family
will have a rippling effect
in our community, country, and world.
We can increase our family’s self-esteem
and build eternal bonds of friendship
through genuine acts of kindness.
As we learn to love and forgive each other,
our family loyalty and unity will increase.
Our families are the greatest
source of strength
that there is on this earth.
Beloved, let us love one another:
for love is of God;
and every one that loveth
is born of God, and knoweth God.
—1 John 4:7