Sometimes high school students feel crushed by the weight of their responsibilities: grades, friends, relationships, and impending college decisions prominent among them.

However, even with all of these parts of life eating into their peace of mind, the most crippling source of pressure often stems from the opinions of others. Even one seemingly small insult can often send a student into a downward spiral of depression and anxiety.

Fortunately, this cycle does not have to ruin anyone’s day. It is time for students to shift their gaze away from the negativity of others and towards the unique and wonderful people that God made them to be.

Students often become very emotionally attached to their own public image. They zero in on things such as weight, appearance, social status or wealth to hone their self value. When one of these impossible goals that society sets forth is not met, many people are left feeling less valuable. This pattern soon becomes unrewarding due to the ill nature of a life consumed by the opinions of others.

Instead of obsessing over the whimsical ideals of pop culture, people should focus on the more positive Biblical view of self-image. In Genesis, when God creates mankind, he details that he made them “In his own image.” Therefore, all people are created from same blueprint as God, and this gives everyone value in his eyes. If people can be compared to an all-powerful, all-knowing creator, immense worth is applied to everyone’s existence.

The Bible goes further about the eternal nature of God’s love. The writer to the Romans in 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If God loves that much, then the opinion of a few dissenting students should not cause too many hurt feelings. The enormity of the creator of the universe’s love trumps the most harmful remark that the cruelest bully could dream of.

Even from a scientific standpoint, the uniqueness of every individual person becomes evident. No one person’s DNA matches that of another person. In simplified terms, people are all coded to be one of a kind. The beauty of this discovery can be found in the knowledge that just based on our genetics, the contribution that a person brings to the world is inimitable. Armed with this discovery, embrace your own differences as part of your identity instead of allowing hurtful words to drag down your level of happiness.

From sports to music to high grades, everyone specializes in different areas. If a person feels less valuable because they can not throw a football, just remember that they make up for their deficiency in other areas. These are only a couple examples of the broader concept of the wide variance of talents that can manifest themselves in people’s lives. If a person becomes depressed because they do not believe they fit society’s ideas of competence, they should think of their own areas of giftedness. The things that people passionate about should drive them, not the ideas that other more narrow minded individuals focus on.

Another reason for everyone’s self esteem to skyrocket is the fact that every life has a purpose. Jeremiah in 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Even if a person may feel useless sometimes, God has designed each individual specifically to be successful and happy. People are his hand-picked instruments, and as such each person has a massive impact on this world.

The individual and important character of each human life should inspire new confidence in the mind of the discouraged student. Reflecting upon the characteristics about themselves that they value will soon purge the dissent of others from their minds. The trick to obtaining self esteem lies in discovering the magnitude of God’s love and the unique way that he made each person. With those things in mind, suddenly the insecurities of life soon fade away.

For more editorials, please read EDITORIAL: Culture idolizes sex, strays from God’s plan.