Where is My Worth?

Have you ever felt ‘less than’ or just not good enough? Feelings of insecurity and shame are ones often used by our enemy. These lies keep us from moving forward.

We become immobilized. Stuck. God has made you uniquely and purposefully for His glory. He determines your worth. He says you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14

COMPARISONS

Comparisons are one of the many ways we are made to feel insecure. Of course, we have the media. It has become the standard of what is ‘good or not.’  From the way we dress to the way we think, media contributes.

As for the Christian, we have even more to compare ourselves with. We have Christian leaders. They seem to have their whole life together. We seem to be struggling, while they continue on in perfect ‘spiritualness.’ Yes, I made up that word!

Seriously, I had fallen into a trap of despairing, because everyone at my church seemed to have the most perfect walk with God. Do they even struggle? A big fat YES! This comparison is not of God. 

Nothing good comes from comparing yourself to anything. It can be anything from your weight or your walk with God. Comparison will only discourage you.
 
God has called us to compare ourselves to one person. Christ! We should be striving towards being more like Him! We should shift our focus off of others. Placing your eyes on Christ brings peace and security. In Him, you have His perfect righteousness. You should desire to be more like Christ instead of ‘so and so.’

GROWING UP WITH LIES

A lot of us have been taught shame from a young age. Bullying or unhealthy families can plant these seeds. Children take what is presented as truth. For me, I am a survivor of domestic abuse. Shame was my identity. (For more on this click here.) This happens to many of us.

These accusations of shame are all lies. Remember that! You can’t allow the words of bullies or unhealthy adults determine your value. They didn’t even know their own value.

God says you are valuable. He has called you His bride. He is your creator. All that God has made is good. "so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5:27

If you continue to call yourself unkind names, you are calling God’s creation defective. God doesn’t make anything defective. You must agree with what He has said about you. 

This doesn’t come easily. God will have to help you. He will help you if you seek Him. I suggest doing a word study on His love for you. This helped me understand more of the ways He thought about me. It may be helpful for you as well.

BEING SUCCESSFUL 

We feel like failures sometimes. This is usually because we don’t measure up to our own standards. We have in our mind what the perfect (fill in the blank) should be. The perfect mom is ‘this.’ The perfect friend is ‘this.’ The perfect employee is ‘this.’ The perfect…and on and on.

Who made up those rules? Where are you getting these standards? Most of the time it is not from the Bible. You should not beat yourself up for not reaching your made-up standards. Oftentimes they are unattainable. Nobody could reach those!
 
God is gracious with you. Go to Him. Ask Him what He thinks makes a Christ-like wife, friend, worker, etc. He will guide you and enable you to be that. Again, this is taking your eyes off of others. It is even taking your eyes off of self. You are looking to Christ who should be your goal.

SINFULNESS 

What if we have looked at what God calls good? We will then see that we are not perfect! We can’t be like Christ in His fullness. This can bring a sense of failure as well. You know your own heart. There are offenses in there that are not pleasing to God.

God knows you more than you know yourself. "O LORD, you have searched me and known me!" (Psalm 139:1) He knew your sin before He called you into His family. You are just as in need of His grace as you were when you first met Him. He is just as sufficient!

The great thing is, He is gracious. His love is not swayed by your performance. Literally, God sees you under the blood of Jesus. You are spotless before Him. Remember this verse again! "so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27). 

There is no room for guilt in Christ. In fact, you can’t lift your eyes and see both Christ and guilt at the same time. You should not allow your sinfulness to cause insecurity. It may seem like 'Susan' is perfect and holy. 

But, you don’t know what Susan struggles with. Trust me, she struggles with something! We all are a work in progress. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23). Stop trying to be something you are not. He made you to be you!! God likes that you! That you is beautiful and is forgiven.

God Loves His Beloved

Feelings of worthlessness and insecurity touch all of us. Even when you can’t see it. Your value is fixed in Christ! It can’t change! Accept the fact that you are dearly loved by your Maker. 

Comparisons are a thief and the enemy sure knows how to use it against us. You have to make Christ your constant gaze. It will bring you more joy to look at Him. He is more beautiful than any human on earth.

Never mind those lies from your childhood. Focus on what God says about you now. You are His beloved. This is true no matter how successful you think you are/not. Make His standards yours. 

When you feel like you have failed His standards, remember the blood of Christ. To answer the question to this blog, your worth is shown in the blood that flowed from the cross.

Oh, dear Christian! You have no idea how much worth you have in Christ! I encourage you to listen to this song by the “Getty’s.” It has been one I have had to listen to on repeat at times.  Click here to listen.

Blessings