Supere el Poder y la Obsesión del Desprecio a Sí Mismo
2 Pasos para Convertirse en la Nueva Criatura que Dios Diseñó
Recuerdo mi primera conversación con Lonnie. Nadie nos presentó formalmente. Simplemente comenzamos a conversar entre nosotros mientras estábamos en el vestíbulo de la iglesia. Era una de esas personas amigable y trataba a todos como los amigos más queridos desde la primera conversación.

I was a teacher for the adult Sunday School class. But Lonnie didn’t attend Sunday School. He unofficially led what became known as the “foyer Sunday School class,” which was made up of people who socialized in the foyer during the Sunday School hour. He was usually at church in time to attend Sunday School, but instead of going to the class he lingered in the foyer to chat with people and wandered through the church to see if anyone needed anything. He would do anything for anyone. He was a friend to all.
En aquel momento, yo estaba terminando la facultad de derecho y Lonnie estaba cursando un doctorado. Aunque mencionó que también estaba en la escuela, nunca expresó que estaba cursando un doctorado. En cambio, habló de mí y de lo genial que era que estuviera terminando la facultad de derecho. Él era así, siempre enfocándose en otras personas. Siempre animando a los demás.
Dios claramente había hecho de Lonnie una nueva criatura cuando encontró al Señor.
Nueva Criatura
2 Corinthians 5:17-18 is a very well-known passage of scripture. It assures us we are new creatures when we live in Christ. We are new because all of the old things of our lives are passed away and are now made new because God has reconciled us to Him and given us the ministry of reconciliation. We cling to this promise when we come into relationship with Christ. But do we really believe it? Do we really live like a new creature: Boldly sharing our testimonies with those who have not yet come to know Christ; Encouraging those who are struggling to see God’s work in their lives; Loving people by putting them above our own desires? Lonnie did this in amazing ways.
Venciendo por medio de la Sangre del Cordero y la Palabra de Nuestro Testimonio
Cada uno de nosotros posee un testimonio. Apocalipsis 12:10-11 nos dice que hay un acusador que nos acusa delante de Dios día y noche. ¿Quién es ese acusador? Es Satanás. Sin embargo, siempre vencemos al acusador de hermanos con la sangre del Cordero y la palabra de nuestro testimonio. Dios derriba al acusador.

¿Quién más nos acusa día y noche? Si tenemos un pasado del cual nos avergonzamos, nos acusamos nosotros mismos día y noche.
After coming to Christ, we accept His forgiveness. We even share with others how good He is. But in our private times, many of us hang onto our pasts. Although we trust God, we don’t trust ourselves. And we accuse ourselves.
Fenómeno del Impostor
There is a psychological phenomenon called the impostor syndrome or the impostor phenomenon. Despite external evidence of their competence, those with the syndrome remain convinced that they are frauds and do not deserve the success they have achieved. Many of us suffer from this impostor syndrome when we consider being made a new creature through Christ. We see the external effects of God’s grace. We are thankful for it. But we also expect the other shoe to drop and reveal to everyone who we really are. In this fear of being revealed for who we think we really are, we are denying God’s grace that made us a new creature when He became our Lord and Savior.
La Realidad de la Transformación
Mis recuerdos de Lonnie me recuerdan la importancia de estar firmes en la realidad que Dios nos hizo una nueva criatura cuando experimentamos la salvación a través de Su perdón. Él arrojó nuestro pecado tan lejos como está el este del oeste (Salmos 103:12). Él ya no recuerda nuestro pecado y nosotros también tenemos que dejarlo ir.
Romanos 8:1-4 ilustra la nueva criatura en la que cada uno de nosotros se ha convertido. Cristo murió por nosotros y nos hizo justos, permitiéndonos caminar en el Espíritu sin condenación. Tenemos un Padre celestial amoroso. Juntos somos glorificados (Romanos 8:15-17).

Debemos levantar la cabeza, mirar el rostro de Dios y aceptar nuestra posición de herederos con Cristo. Si nos revolcamos en el desprecio por nosotros mismos, acusándonos obsesivamente día y noche, perdemos las maravillosas bendiciones que Dios ha derramado sobre nosotros. Y traemos disfunción, desconfianza y amargura a nuestras relaciones, incluyendo aquellas con nuestro cónyuge e hijos. A veces permitimos que el desprecio a sí mismos nos mantenga alejados por completo de las relaciones.
Lonnie was a new creature. Had I known the old Lonnie I would not have recognized the man who stood in front of me during our first conversation. The old Lonnie was a drug addict, sentenced to prison more than once. He left a wife and son. But by God’s mercy, the old Lonnie met God while in prison. He repented, experienced salvation, and became the new creature I knew.
After coming to know the Lord, Lonnie pursued formal education. He earned a master’s degree in Criminology/Criminal Justice and at sixty-three years old was awarded his PhD in Psychology. He devoted his new life to helping many people find their way from substance abuse to health and a positive future. And he reconciled with his wife!
Lonnie no dejó que los fracasos y el dolor de su pasado lo ataran a la vida del viejo Lonnie. No se revolcaba en el desprecio a sí mismo ni se acusaba obsesivamente. En cambio, se aferró a toda la gracia que Dios tenía para ofrecerle, le sirvió con devoción y se convirtió en el hombre y el ejemplo que Dios había propuesto para su vida.
Evitando el Daño de Nuestro Pasado
How do we avoid languishing in the impostor syndrome and self-contempt? How do we prevent the harm our pasts can bring into our current relationships? Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 7:9-11) shows us the way.

El primer paso es arrepentirse como resultado de la tristeza que es según Dios. ¿Qué es la tristeza que es según Dios? Es un dolor que surge del respeto a Dios, de ver el pecado como Dios lo ve, que es una separación entre nosotros y Dios. Y la tristeza que es según Dios nos lleva a Él para obtener el perdón y la salvación.
En contraste, la tristeza del mundo es el resultado de la condenación acumulada sobre nosotros o por otros. Generalmente, resulta en huir de Dios.
El segundo paso es salir de la esclavitud y la auto condena del pasado. Si ya se ha arrepentido y recibido la salvación, pero el desprecio por sí mismo todavía lo persigue, es probable que se sigue aferrando al pasado, no se perdona a sí mismo y no está confiando en lo que Dios le dice en Su Palabra.
2 Corinthians 7:11 lists the results of godly sorrow, which include a desire to walk with God, putting behind the sin and guilt, and looking at all sin with distaste. As Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary explains, “Sorrow according to the will of God, tending to the glory of God, and wrought by the Spirit of God, renders the heart humble, contrite, submissive, disposed to mortify every sin, and to walk in newness of life (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_corinthians/7-11.html).” If we let it, godly sorrow will help us move from self-condemnation to a new life in God. (See the How We Are to Walk Section of How to be Confident in Knowing God’s Will – Confidence in God para obtener información sobre cómo caminar en una vida nueva.)
Aunque Pablo estaba escribiendo a la iglesia de Corinto con respecto a eventos específicos por los cuales la congregación se arrepintió como resultado de la tristeza que es según Dios, la descripción puede aplicarse a todos nosotros cuando regresamos a Dios debido al dolor piadoso. Cuando la tristeza que es según Dios lo llevó al arrepentimiento, usted se convirtió en una nueva criatura, limpió su nombre ante Dios, y esto lo hizo ser celoso de Dios con un deseo vehemente de hacer Su voluntad. Tome su posición como hijo de Dios, coheredero con Cristo, y salga de la condenación que ha estado acumulando sobre sí mismo.
Si está arrepentido por el pecado en su vida, pero está huyendo de Dios, usted está luchando con la tristeza del mundo, la cual lo aleja de Dios y lo lleva a la muerte. Dios está disponible para usted. Solo necesita mirar el pecado de la manera en que Dios lo hace, reconociendo que necesita y quiere a Dios, pero el pecado lo ha separado de Él. Eso convierte a la tristeza del mundo en tristeza según Dios, la cual conduce al arrepentimiento. Dios lo ama. Él se vistió de carne y murió en la cruz por usted. Él quiere aceptarlo como un niño y hacerlo una nueva criatura, perdonada, limpiando su nombre ante Dios, haciendo que sea celoso de Él con un deseo vehemente de hacer Su voluntad.
Camine Confiadamente en la Fe
I pray you will let Lonnie’s story inspire you to let go of the past and become all God intended for you to be without the baggage of self-contempt. Grab hold of the promises of God in 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 and accept yourself as the new creature God has created you to be. We can all confidently walk in faith, taking God at His word, that we are new creatures in Him. Our sin no longer exists and there is now no condemnation.

14 Comments
Kristen Ellis
Julie,
Each post gets better! What a fantastic lesson- so well presented AND the most encouraging yet. I doubt you could have used a better example than our dear Bro. Lonnie. He is still greatly missed. It seems that we need reminded of our need to continually fight against the lies the enemy feeds us, no matter how long we have lived for God! Belief in his lies will keep us from living in all God desires to give us. Thank you for the reminder of what Jesus can do and will continue to do in our lives, if we allow it!
Julie McGhghy
Thank you, Pastor Kristen, for your kind and encouraging comment.
Jennifer Salazar
Me encantó la historia que viene con el mensaje. Realmente la vida de Lonnie es inspiradora. Que bueno es reconocer lo que Dios a hecho en nuestra vida y amar esa obra. Considero que debemos trabajar en eso constantemente ya que lo olvidamos con frecuencia y el síndrome del impostor es algo nuevo que aprendí. Muchas gracias por ser de bendición para mí!
Julie McGhghy
Gracias por tu comentario. Lonnie estaría tan sorprendido de que la historia de su vida haya sido una bendición para las personas fuera de los Estados Unidos. Estoy de acuerdo en que debemos recordar diariamente la obra que Dios ha hecho en nuestras vidas y caminar en Su gracia, dejando atrás nuestro pasado. ¡La gracia de Dios es asombrosa!
Debra Celovsky
So well said. How often do we, as you say, “deny God’s grace” while succumbing to Imposter Syndrome? Thank you for this thought-provoking post.
Julie McGhghy
Thank you. I so appreciate the encouragement found through your ministry at https://www.debracelovsky.com/ as well. May God continue to speak boldly through His people.
Loraine Vinson
Thank you for your words of encouragement. I thank you for always speaking into my life and even with you so far away you still do.
Julie McGhghy
Loraine, God truly blessed both of our families by bringing us together when my family came to Calvary.
Suzette Minton
Thank you, Julie. I was reminded of some of the precious souls who have touched my life whose idea of ministry may have been different than mine, but who humbly served the Lord In their own unique “spot”. A lady named Ruth comes to mind. She was many times the smile of encouragement I needed, though our way of doing things was often quite different. Her life was a difficult one, including the death of a daughter and her own crippling injuries in the same auto accident. We met many years past that trauma and it was years after we met that she shared her private tragedies with me. Instead, she chose to smile, to serve, and to encourage. She was quietly confident on what her mission was to be, and never wavered from it. Her life and her death affected me deeply. She understood the concept of walking by faith . Now she walks by sight. I was blessed to know her.
Julie McGhghy
Suzette, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about Ruth with us. Her story is very inspirational.
Anne Wildman
Julie- this was so beautifully written and you are absolutely correct! Lonnie loved his life as that new creature that God intended him to be! I believe that Lonnie’s foyer Sunday School class was a part of his ministry. He sought out people who were hurting and found a way to help them! I am not sure that we could even put a number to the lives that he touched! Some of those who may have seemed to have had hearts that were impenetrable! Also some whose heart was open and just needed someone to speak a little truth into their life! I would fall into that second catagory. Lonnie made such a big difference in my life and he was a big part to my path to healing (I needed a lot of that!)
Lonnie did not live in self contempt. He had complete confidence in God’s intention for his life! I miss him this time of year! Next week, he would be celebrating a birthday and a few short weeks later is the anniversary of his passing. Marty and I were with him the night he left this world! I will never forget the experience of spending time with my dear friend some of his last hours on earth!
Thank you for this beautifully written post ! It has blessed me greatly this evening ❤️
Julie McGhghy
Thank you, Anne, for sharing your thoughts about our dear friend Lonnie. I agree that the number of lives he touched likely exceeds anything anyone is aware of. He just quietly served the Lord and loved people.
Melissa K Rutherford
Beautiful, encouraging word!
Julie McGhghy
Thank you. Lonnie was such an inspiration to so many of us and a great example of living as the new creation God made him to be. I thank God I had the privilege of knowing him.