In my post last week, I wrote on Building Self-Esteem in Children – God’s Way. My guest writer this week is 14-year-old Oriana Amodeo, who latched onto this truth at a very young age and is living it out.

And now, in her own words, is Oriana.

 Self-esteem is something that you are born with.
You are born to enjoy the life God has given you.

I think often times people start rushing to find something to boost their self-esteem, rather than finding the source that is lowering it. Most of the time people don’t have self-esteem problems until they see the “expectations” of what society wants.

If you think about it, you don’t see five-year-olds worried that they’re not good enough or complaining about the way they look. They’re proud about what they have accomplished and what they look like. They embrace their differences and they SHOULD. That doesn’t make a kid conceited or self-centered; that’s helping them. A bully’s job is to make someone’s self-esteem crash and burn. You can’t let that happen because they are probably having self-esteem issues as well.

I’ve gained self-esteem from thinking positive thoughts about myself and also surrounding myself with people who have a positive attitude. The negative thoughts that sometimes seep in are from the enemy. Think about it this way: “If you overheard a LIE that you knew was 100% untrue from someone you don’t like, would you believe it?” Many of you probably answered “no”, yet that’s exactly what the majority of people let the enemy do to them.

Another area I have gained self-esteem or confidence is my singing and performing. It began originally with my mom, dad, and family telling me I was good. From there I branched out and started singing for close friends and then people from school. Now I have reached the point where I can sing for large groups of random strangers. I used to be absolutely terrified of singing in front of people, but I have learned that people aren’t always going to like my talents.

Sometimes people may not like your talents either, or they may even be jealous of your gift. You can’t let that get to you. God has blessed you with a talent or gift and as long as you believe that, you can pursue the gem that God has placed in you. I believe that God has blessed me to do well in music so I can spread His Word through music and worship.

You might be perfectly okay and happy with yourself, or you may have no self-confidence at all. Either way God has given you your life and your own self. It sounds a bit cliché, but God loves you and in your eyes you are made PERFECT. The enemy will drag you down and feed you negative lies that aren’t true, just to bring you down.

So, who are you going to believe?

Certainly, at the age of 14, Oriana is wise beyond her age, and has latched onto the truth of how to achieve self-esteem. Didn’t you just love her statement: “I think often times people start rushing to find something to boost their self-esteem, rather than finding the source that is lowering it.” Wow! Such wisdom that all of us should adhere to.

My thanks to Oriana for being my guest writer this week. You don’t want to miss next week when her sister, Keeleigh,will be my guest writer.

Oriana’s complete bio:

My name is Oriana Amodeo and I’m a 14-year-old girl who is entering the ninth grade next school year. I have been a member of my school’s Varsity Choir, volleyball team, and Group Acting team. When I was a member of the Group Acting team in the 7th and 8th grade, I placed a superior both years. I also received a superior for a solo/ensemble choir competition the previous school year. I also enjoy being a part of my church’s youth worship team and helping with the 1st-4th graders there as well. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, and singing. Next year I am looking forward to being a part of my school’s Chamber Choir and Theater Arts program.