Determining Your Worth

Psalm 100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his…

Many of us have struggled with feelings of low self-worth. It comes from a variety of experiences and reinforced beliefs throughout our lives. Whether we have been told that we were an unwanted mistake, or that we were fat or dumb or lazy or ugly; or maybe we were raised in a super-competitive high achieving family and measured ourselves against perceived perfection only to fail oh too many times; whatever the case, we have feelings of low self-worth. And as the years go on, we start to give credence to the voices of others and the circumstances that we have been either born into or developed.

The problem with this is that whatever we believe our self-worth to be, determines the standards that we set for ourselves. Think of it this way. Are you someone who settles for less because you think it is all you deserve? Do you take abuse? Are you willing to put your health at risk with bad foods, cigarettes, drugs, alcohol, or substance abuse? Have you given yourself to the wrong mate? Are you willing to be the other woman? Do you take disrespect? Have you stopped dreaming or setting goals? Are you accepting standards for yourself that you would never tolerate for your friends or family? All of these things come from feelings of low self-worth.

I have good news for you, but it may require a major change of your paradigms. You see, the Bible actually has many passages that tell us what God has to say about our worth and our value in His eyes. Genesis 1:26-27 says we are made in His image, the very image of God. Psalm 139:13-16 says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Ephesians 1:13-14 we’re told we are God’s own possession. We are joint heirs with Christ!!

These scriptures all have one thing in common; they show us that we have had things done to us or for us by God. These are not things we have done for ourselves, nor have we earned or deserved them. We are, in fact, merely the recipients of a great and wonderful God. Our worth is not really of the “self” at all; rather, it is worth given to us by God. We are of inestimable value to Him.

If we can really get ahold of this concept we can begin to change our paradigms about our worth. If you have struggled with this in your life, I pray that you will hold onto His promises and truth. The next time someone tells you that you are worthless or something happens to you and you feel valueless; remember that you are His and your worth has already been determined!