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Running head: THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

The World is Not Ours to Save Paper


Camille Frigillana
Azusa Pacific University

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

The world is filled with its fair share of problems and issues and these issues range in
anything from world poverty to human trafficking. But perhaps there is one issue that people
suffer from that can cause a ripple effect to destructive behavior is lack of self esteem. Its a
problem that may seemingly be easy to fix if someone chose to go and see someone for it, and
many people dedicate their lives as therapists to try and help people who experience a low self
esteem. But often this issue is left alone or is often brushed off, and those trying to help the
person suffering from it will feel dismayed as they feel as though they are not doing enough to
make that problem go away. However, what people must realize is that the act of trying to save
someone suffering from such an issue and, in general, saving the world from its problems is not
our responsibility to bear. Author Tyler Wigg- Stevenson discusses this notion in his book The
World is Not Ours to Save and basically explains that we should not place that burden on
ourselves but trust that God is in charge and will take care of those in need.
In his book, Wigg- Stevenson dedicated a chapter to explaining that people should not
feel like they need to become heroes. People have developed a notion that we have the ability to
take on big issues that are often more than what we can handle. This can be argued for the case
of people having high self- esteem and believing that they can do anything, but it can also be said
for the other way around. Those with low self- esteem may feel like they have to accomplish
something big to prove to others and themselves that they have the capability to do so. By doing
so, however, we try to accomplish such things under false intentions and instead do the things we
do for ourselves instead of helping others. Activism and mission are necessary and good, and
they can and should be directed toward formation in Christlikeness If we accomplish great

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

things in Jesus name, but do so while becoming less and less like him, then God will use our
deeds in spite of how we are rather than through who we are. Also, a Christianity that exalts
heroes and grand accomplishments can discourage many people who may not feel like their gifts
are significant enough to offer (Wigg- Stevenson).
What is important to note in the quote above would be the last part in which WiggStevenson warns the Church against praising those who are seemingly doing good deeds. Of
course, it is not bad for the Church to praise good deeds done by others, but it becomes a
problem when the Church focuses solely on those people that do good works and does not really
focus on encouraging more people to serve in whatever capacity they can. People with low self
esteem in such church environments will tend to feel disconnected with the church community
because they do not believe that they can do more, or they would do things to prove to others that
they can do it as opposed to doing such things out of the goodness of their heart.
Additionally, people fail to realize that the fictional heroes that we covet and admire also
have some flaws of their own, and that people should not equally compare these heroes to God.
Many of our most beloved characters are stand- ins for Christ often consciously so. The
problem with Christ- figures, as theyre called in literary theory, is that theyre necessarily
incomplete Each is at best a shadow of the savior (Wigg- Stevenson). When it comes down to
it, making ourselves into the ultimate hero is not only impossible, its also dangerous. Those with
low self esteem will have that yearning to become what their favorite hero is because they want
to be great, only to realize that they can only be Christ- like rather than become Christ himself.

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

Perfection, although unattainable, is something that many people strive for. When they do
not achieve perfection, people, especially those with low self esteem, will take that and think that
they are not enough and that they have to improve so that they can reach that level of perfection.
An academic article from Stockholm University explores that yearning for perfection in athletes
and their yearning for being the best in what they do. The common coaching instruction that
practice makes perfect conveys the widespread belief that given enough practice, athletes may
eventually achieve the perfect performance Hence, setting high standards is an integral part of
elite sports, and thereby often beneficial for the athletes performance, but when nothing but the
perfect performance is perceived to be good enough, these originally positive expectations may
instead lead to the development of a negative self- concept, and a fear-of-failure syndrome
(Koivula, Hassmen, and Fallby).
Athletes always commit themselves to being the best so that they can get that gold medal,
but that can lead such athletes to be more susceptible to cracking under pressure in that pursuit of
perfection. When they feel like they have something to prove, many athletes can resort to things
like performance enhancing drugs to get that extra boost. And if they fail, theyll continue to
push their bodies until they reach that perfection or until they break. This phenomenon isnt
restrained to just athletes, however. Musicians, artists and even students commit themselves to
whatever craft they are passionate about and want to be the best they can be in it. Failure isnt
something that they want to experience and if their self- esteem isnt already at its best, itll
become even worse when failure strikes.

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

Those with low self esteem can not only be a danger to themselves but also a danger to
others. There have been studies linking the level of self esteem to outward aggression and even
violence, especially with those who are on the extreme levels of low self esteem. However, high
self esteem was only known to produce such aggression, but many researchers have done studies
that support the other end of the spectrum. A 2005 article summed up three different theories as
to why those with low self esteem act out as such. Low self- esteem weakens ties to society
weaker ties to society decrease conformity to social norms and increase delinquency. Humanistic
psychologists have argued that a lack of unconditional positive self- regard is linked to
psychological problems, including aggression. Finally, neo- Freudians also posit that low selfregard motivates aggression. For example, aggression and antisocial behavior are motivated by
feelings of inferiority rooted in early childhood experiences of rejection and humiliation
(Donellan, Trzesniewski, Robins, Moffitt and Caspi).
Its been seen many times before that school bullies or anyone lashing out to those
inferior to them suffer from at least some form of insecurity or jealousy. Its so common that its
actually used as a recurring theme for many movies or television shows, where the main
protagonist is being harassed by a group of people, usually lead by the antagonist, and you cant
help but root for that protagonist to conquer at the end of the day. But then you find out that the
so- called antagonist is actually facing some demons of their own, and theyre suddenly known
as the anti- hero that you hate to love. A perfect example of this in popular culture is the show
Glee, where theater nerd Rachel is constantly being bullied by head cheerleader Quinn, and all
the audience wants to do is cheer on Rachel. However, the audience soon finds out that Quinn is

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

going through an unexpected pregnancy and the father of the child is not being supportive, which
ultimately leads her to putting the child up for adoption.
Although this might be a fictional situation, bullying is something that happens quite
often, especially among pre- teens and young adults. In an article published by the American
Psychological Association, researchers evaluated 500 students, from fifth to ninth grade, to see if
there was a correlation between jealousy and self esteem. Their results concluded that
Adolescents with lower self- worth reported greater vulnerability to jealousy and jealous
adolescents were both physically aggressive, such as by hitting or pushing, passively aggressive,
such as by ignoring a peer with whom they were angry (Dittmann).
Dealing with self esteem issues might not be a big problem to those who arent suffering
from it, and these people will also see it as a problem that can easily be solved simply with words
of affirmation. However, the inability to see worth in oneself is something that isnt easily fixed
with simple compliments. This behavior is usually manifested from something deeper, whether
that be from past experiences of abuse or bullying. The only way to truly be free of such a
burden is to place your identity in Christ and be built up through that.
We are not Christ and we cannot force people to follow Christ, either. However, we each
are given abilities from God to encourage these people to start that journey towards Him. Its
important to remember that although youre not truly equipped to fix someones self esteem
issues, you are equipped to help lead them to a source that is equipped. In Wigg- Stevensons
chapter on living out your callings, he says, Nothing I can contribute has come to me through

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

my own effort. Though I have worked hard, it is God who has given me the strength to do so.
The question of how I will respond to the chorus of crying needs of the world is not based on
what the world needs but on how God has equipped me to give (Wigg- Stevenson).
If ones calling is to help people suffer with self esteem issues, then itd be important to
remember that their job isnt to save that person but rather lead them to the one who can really
save them. God calls us to be more like Him and to show the love He has for us and give that to
other people, and we can only hope that we are good representatives of that love and of our faith.

THE WORLD IS NOT OURS TO SAVE PAPER

References
Dittmann, M. (2005, February). In Brief: Study links jealousy with aggression, low self-esteem.
PsycEXTRA Dataset, 36. doi:10.1037/e311652005-007
Donnellan, M. B., Trzesniewski, K. H., Robins, R. W., Moffitt, T. E., & Caspi, A. (2005). Low
self-esteem is related to aggression, antisocial behavior, and delinquency. Psychological
science, 16(4), 328-335.
Koivula, N., Hassmn, P., & Fallby, J. (2002). Self-esteem and perfectionism in elite athletes:
Effects on competitive anxiety and self-confidence. Personality and individual
differences, 32(5), 865-875.
Stevenson, T. W. (2013). The world is not ours to save: Finding the freedom to do good.
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

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