Question: Is it wrong to think of yourself as being special? Is it a sin? Does doubting that you are special actually show that you are more human and a better person who cares more for other people than some-one “who is full of there own self importance” and doesn’t ever doubt themselves? Does God/Jesus want you to always think of other people as being special before yourself? Or not? Or does he want you to think that you are special/important to him? Yours Sincerely

Answered by: Edie Edmondson, who has been a volunteer with us since February 2011.

Answer: First of all, realizing you are special and thinking you are special is not wrong. Never doubt that you are special. The reality is each and every person is special: We are all made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26) and God formed each of us as unique individuals in our mothers’ wombs (Jeremiah 1:5). Nothing can be more special than that, regardless of intelligence, strength or any other measure we use as humans to compare ourselves with others.

That being said, we can look to Philippians 2:3-4 to help understand the difference between conceit and humility.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (NIV)

If believing you are special means believing you are better than others (conceit), or if believing your own needs and desires are more important than the needs and desires of others results in placing your needs and desires first (selfish ambition), then you are in the realm of sin. If God formed us all and loves each and every one of us (saved or not – 2 Peter 3:9), then anyone who considers him/herself better than another is basically contradicting God’s valuation of others – and that’s sinful.

At the same time, recognizing others are special is not the same as thinking others are more special than you. Just because we are called to “value others above” ourselves and put others’ interests before our own doesn’t mean they are more special. It takes humility to recognize the worth of others, regardless of any earthly measures (intelligence, strength, wealth, etc.). And just like no earthly measure makes one person better than another, doubting you are special in no way shows you are “more human” or “a better person.” As a matter of fact, believing oneself to be of less value than others contradicts God’s valuation of you. So if “specialness” is irrelevant because we are all equal in God’s eyes, the focus should be on serving others (anybody) in whatever capacity we are able and in a position to serve.

Christ is of course the perfect example. Continuing on in Philippians 2:5-8, we are told to have the same mindset as Christ when it comes to our relationships. Jesus knew He was equal to God, but didn’t believe that was to be used to His own advantage. Instead, He became human and then acted as a servant to all, which of course meant sacrificing Himself for each and every one of us. His focus was never on His status – it was always on us. Likewise, we shouldn`t consider our status – we just need to focus on demonstrating Christ`s love to others.