Your worth

We are God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

Do you feel worthless? Does it seem as if people expect more from you than you are capable of? When others put you down, do you secretly believe that they are right? Are you staying in a relationship with an abusive person because you don’t think anyone else could love you? Do you feel that you don’t deserve the good things in your life?

How did you come to have such a low opinion of yourself? Did your parents tell you that you were a disappointment to them? Did you do poorly in school? Did the kids always tease you or pick you last when choosing team members? Have the people you’ve dated humiliated you instead of treating you with respect?

Feeling worthless is terribly hurtful. If you don’t believe that you have much to contribute, it’s hard to convince a personnel manager to hire you. If you don’t think that you bring much to a relationship, you may settle for partners that have little regard for your feelings. If you don’t believe that you deserve the good things in your life, you won’t fight very hard to keep them from being taken away. If you don’t believe that you have useful skills, too much of your time will be wasted in despondent idleness.

Are you really worthless? Let’s look at things from God’s perspective. God designed you; you are a unique person with a combination of abilities that no one else has. God placed you into this world for a purpose; Ephesians says we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God designed you for a purpose—to serve Him by using the skills He has given you. It is impossible for you to be worthless if you are doing God’s will!

Notice where your worth comes from. You are important because God gave you value. But what about all those times you’ve made a total mess of things? What about all the pain you’ve caused others by your incompetence and selfishness? Since you have failed to do God’s will, does that make you worthless? Not at all. God values you—values you so much that He sent His Son to die for you. Jesus’ holy blood has made atonement for your guilt; when He forgives you, He sets you back on the path of useful service to God. You are worth a lot to Jesus—worth more to Him than His own life!