June Hunt on Self-Worth – “You were worth dying for.”

May 2017

If you take an item to an auction and ask how much it is worth, the answer is obvious:  Whatever someone is willing to pay. The worth of an item is determined by one simple standard … the highest price paid.

Yet we often ignore this practical equation when it relates to our own value. Many who struggle with low self-worth say, “I’ve made too many mistakes. I don’t deserve happiness. No one can really love me. I must do as much as I can to earn approval from others.” This kind of person becomes a human “doing” instead of a human being.

The truth is we all fall short and fail. The Bible says … “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6). We all have sinned and we all need forgiveness. But does failure diminish our value?

The purpose of failure is to learn what doesn’t work. Consequently, with enough failures, we discover what does work. Just because you may fail does not mean you are a failure. Look at inventions developed around the world throughout history. Few were successful from the very start. Most were born out of many repetitive failures.

And how does that apply to us?  This is an area where I personally have stumbled and fallen. I battled low self-worth for years.  So I became a performance-based people pleaser in order to keep the peace. Through singing, speaking, and just plain hard work, I did receive approval, but it was from people rather than from God. This approval didn’t help me to feel valuable on the inside.

Realize, some people will choose to be displeased with everything you do—and that’s their choice. But you have a choice too. You don’t have to accept a false sense of worthlessness based on what other people think, say, or do. You need to view your worth in light of what God has said and done. You need to see your worth through His eyes.

Remember, you were bought from the auction block of sin 20 centuries ago when Jesus paid the ultimate price—His life. Jesus willingly died on the cross—paying the penalty for your sins and mine. He loves you that much!

So, how can you transform this truth into action? How do you share an uplifting message of hope and instill a sense of self-worth in yourself and others?

Replace negative self-talk with the truth about your tremendous value to God. …

#1.  “I can’t do anything right.”

The Lord says: “I’ll give you My strength to do what is right.”
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

#2.  “I’m too weak.”

The Lord says: “My power is perfect when you are weak.”
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

#3.  “I can’t measure up.”

The Lord says: “Rely on Me. I am able.”
“God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”
(2 Corinthians 9:8).

#4.  “I don’t feel that anyone loves me.”

The Lord says: “I love you.”
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

#5.  “I can’t forgive myself.”

The Lord says: “I can forgive you.”
“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25).

#6.  “I wish I’d never been born.”

The Lord says: “Since before you were born, I’ve had plans for you.”
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5).

#7.  “I feel my future is hopeless.”

The Lord says: “I know the future I have for you.”
“‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

True worth is not based on anything you have done or will do, but on what Jesus has already done. Without a doubt, He confirmed your worth. You were worth His life—you were worth dying for.

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9–10).

Live in the light of God’s love for you and see your worth through His eyes.

Yours in the Lord’s hope,

June Hunt

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked “NKJV™” are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.