Anytime Mark Batterson writes something, I get it because I know it will be golden! Soul Print was pure gold. For me, it was one of those books I read and it happens to be  the perfect time in my life to read it.

I’ve been studying a lot on having a healthy self-image. Soul Print is all about finding out who you are in Christ. Finding your true value and worth. It helped me immensely. I’d recommend this book for anyone who is a student of themselves. Who wants to discover who they are in Christ. Mark walks us through the life of David to help us find ourselves in Christ. He did an incredible job in doing so.

My rule of thumb is if Batterson writes it, you need to read it. Get this book!

Some Highlights:

• There has never been and never will be anyone else like you.
• You aren’t good enough or gifted enough to get where God wants you to go. Not without His help.
• You were created to worship God in a way that no one else can.
• It’s never too late to be who you might have been.
• God doesn’t just set us free from who we were. He sets us free to become who we were meant to be.
• God’s primary concern is who you’re becoming.
• God sets us free from who we’re not so we can become who we are destined to become!
• Singles: Don’t focus on finding the right person, focus on becoming the right person.
• God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go!
• Most of our emotional problems are symptoms of one deep rooted spiritual problem: lack of trust in the sovereign God.
• You don’t really care about people until you don’t care what they think
• Most of us spend most of our lives trying to prove ourselves to people, when all we have to do is prove ourselves to God.

The book has plenty of more fantastic nuggets to dwell on! Get this book!

Insecurity. Fear. Lack of Confidence. Poor self-image. Comparison. Envy. Jealousy.

These are all things that are plaguing my potential and have been for years. They are all a result of an unhealthy self-image. I’m learning how unhealthy my self-image has been, and how detrimental it will be if I don’t deal with it.

I’ve let a poor self image:

• Made me pretend to be someone I’m not
• Made me try to impress people that aren’t even paying attention
• Made me want to quit
• Made me Miss out on things I could have been a part of
• Made me Pursue things I had no interest in pursuing
• Got me in trouble financially
• Isolated me from people, friends, and family.
• Let fear dominate me.
  

I’m currently reading “See You at the Top” by Zig Ziglar. In it, Zig says that a healthy self-image is the foundation of being successful. It made me realize that if I don’t know my worth, no one else will!

Know your worth or no one else will!

One of my major goals this year is to be fully confident in myself, which comes from finding my value in God. I’m already starting to become more confident and I can already see the difference it’s making. So I’m excited… about me!

I’m finding that when I find my value in God:

• I’m confident in who He made me to be
• I recognize that my potential is limitless
• I am able to accomplish more than I’ve ever accomplished
• I can go after things that I was afraid to pursue before
• I have more security in the vision God’s placed in my heart
• I will no longer be in bondage to fear
• I won’t fear what people think anymore
  

They all sound like pretty good reasons to be excited about me!

The question is, are you excited about you?

Isn’t it amazing that friends can change our lives just by something they say mid conversation? That happens a lot to me! Here are some sweet things my friends have taught me without even realizing it:

Zack Blair - “Surround Yourself with People that Scare You”- This has helped me so much – get people around me who know so much more than I do that they scare me and have them invest in me. It’s taking me to another level.

Chris Martin - “Be the best ____ (Your name or ministry) “Bubba Smith” You can Be - It’s so easy to try to be those you idolize isn’t it? I’m learning who I am and how to become the best Bubba I can be, regardless of what others think.

Mike Steidel - “Be a Great #2″- Being a youth assistant puts me in a support role of my pastor. I’m really enjoying learning how I can add value to him by serving him and being a great number 2 guy.

Laura Steidel - “You’re Loved for Who You Are, Not What You Do”- This is changing my life. So often, I try to cover up insecurities in my life by accomplishing things. It’s very hard for me to find my value in who I am, instead of what I do, but I’m determined to get there!

Nathan Hurst - “What are You Doing to Making Yourself Indispensable?” – I’m recognizing that I’m moving beyond a level in leadership where I can just lead by passion. I need to start developing skills and actually build teams, people, etc. in order to take the next step. I’m excited for this next season!

What have your friends been teaching you?