Imagine you are a young girl…
You are standing at the back door watching him work outside and wondering why he never seems to want to spend time with you. You are tired but you stay up to get a five second goodbye before he leaves for work. You are left in the background wondering, do you care?
You are unwanted.
You are going through a difficult situation and you should talk to her, but why would you because you never feel like you are getting through. You get defensive at the drop of a hat because you have lived with the fear of anger and condescension for so long. You are left in the background wondering, what is the point?
You are unheard.
You go through life making small steps towards “the big picture”, hoping to be recognized while others are making long strides and everyone pours out their praises. You are left in the background wondering, what about me?
You are second best.
You want someone to see you, to accept you. But you are told that if you can’t commit to a physical relationship then the rest of you isn’t wanted. You are left in the background wondering, am I even really worth it?
You are unworthy.
I have always been a quiet person.
I hardly ever have much to say.
I don’t have strong opinions and I hate any question that starts off with what is your favorite….
I take a while to process and think about things, so some conversations make me nervous.
I am not good at much and have experience with little.
I am a closed book and hard to connect to.
UNWANTED. UNHEARD. SECOND BEST. UNWORTHY.
These are words deeply rooted in me. If you don’t struggle with them then you don’t understand. I can’t just pull a T-Swift and shake it off. Luckily for me, those words are just words, better yet, they are lies. I beat myself down for so long and it got worse and worse because I believed them. I let them take me over.
A little over a year ago, after another break-up, I came home crying on the floor and asking my mom why I wasn’t good enough, a question that held so much more meaning than she knew. It was then that the Lord started doing miraculous things in my heart. He showed me His truth in the things that made me feel unwanted, unheard, second best, and unworthy. I sought Him and He drew near to me, comforting me in my weakness and building my confidence as I acknowledged myself fully as a daughter of Christ. As I grew with God, I realized that I am highly valuable, fully accepted, and unconditionally loved, and the beauty of that is I don’t have to do anything to earn it-I can’t do anything to earn it.
You can’t earn anything from God because the truth is we don’t deserve anything from Him. We are sinners constantly missing the mark. We fail every single day. But guess what! God has an unending supply of grace. He forgives and He loves.
I was asked to lead a study with the girls from the youth group at my church, and I chose to use a book called Lies Young Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free. It hits so close to home. Many things from it have stuck with me, but the thing that I hold closest to my heart is this…
He chose you before the world was created. He knit you together in your mother’s womb and declared that you have been wonderfully made. He loved you before you could love Him. And, if you belong to Him, nothing can ever separate you from His love. Your value isn’t determined by what you do. It’s determined by the simple fact that you are.
You were created by God. You are a child of God. You are valuable to God.
So what does this have to do with the World Race?
We are going into regions of the world with the highest rates of orphaned children, where they are abandoned and, in some cases, living on the street. We will be in countries where sex trafficking is running rampant and young girls are being sold for their bodies. These are places where young women and children are wondering do you care? What is the point? What about me? Am I even really worth it? We are going into places where young women and children feel unwanted, unheard, second best, and unworthy. It is going to break my heart, but God has walked me through these lies and is enabling me to share His truth.
My heart is with these young women and children. I will struggle beside them, and share with them this good news: You may struggle, but when you put your trust, your heart and your identity in Christ you will wake up every day knowing that you are worth so much that your heavenly father allowed His son to die for you. You have eternal value in Him. You are unconditionally loved. You are WANTED. You are HEARD. You are someone’s FIRST CHOICE. You are WORTHY of more than you think you deserve.
What good news…
There is healing and restoration in the Lord. There is hope, love, and life in the arms of our Savior.
I have seen it. I have experienced it. I am called to share it.
