read where your worth comes by this amazing group of people! You can also read from two of my coaches!
Maddie:
Ok I’m gonna take it like self-worth and having it vs. not having it. I know I have self-worth, and I know that I am loved, valued and am important to not only God but also my friends and family and others around me. It is very important to me that I believe that about myself as well as other people; everyone should have self-worth! I have seen other people struggle with this and I myself have had many ups and downs (especially in college) of having negative thoughts or doubting myself thinking “oh I’m not good enough, I’ll never be good enough.” I’ve thought this about soccer, academics and my career path, and most recently in dating relationships.
The truth is: we are all flawed; we are all fallen. I know that God loves me, my family loves me, and my friends love me. I am here for a purpose and a reason, even in the moments when I feel useless or worthless. There will be ups and downs, bumps in the road, but I think believing in yourself and having a support system around you when you need them is crucial to keeping your self-worth.
David Ingalls:
Worth is slippery. I have vacillated between inflated worth in seasons of “winning” or control, and deflated worth in seasons when things didnt go as planned or when I wasn’t “productive”.
I really do believe that worth comes from finally listening (usually with the help of great suffering or great love) to the voice of the Divine (or Love or Reality or God) within us that says “You. You are the one I love. You are my beloved. You are who I want to be with. I am with you; in your favor.”
And from that place of worth my life is filled with responding to that Deepest Love with all the parts of my life.
Lucas: Well when I think about my worth I know a lot of people who are christians might say “oh we sinned and got Christ killed and we are not worthy.” But the way I see it is that God sent his son for us, he loves us and thus we are worthy of him. We have the opportunity to be in a loving relationship with Jesus and God and I think that makes us pretty worthy and that’s a huge reason of why I always feel joyful.
Aaron Moses: My worth has never really been tied to things i can’t control. I’ve never been too driven by money but I have been driven by security and respect. At times, i’ve been legitimately unable to provide for my family, which is probably the number one thing that has degraded my perceived worth more than anything. Accepting that has been hard. When I have been able to provide and care for others, my confidence has been at its highest and I’ve experienced substantial peace, gratitude, and patience in my heart, mind, and life. Due to struggles and pain, my worth has often been defined by how I overcome. Trusting that God will provide is hard. But I’ve seen Him provide countless times, and not just for me, but for my loved ones and acquaintances alike.
Doug: What is the source of my worth?
I used to believe my worth was based on what others thought of me. Every thing I did, or said, was framed with others in mind. Their opinion often mattered more than anything else.
However, after being re-created in the image of Christ, I’m learning to only give value to Father’s thoughts of me. In Him, I have great value, as His son. He paid a HUGE price for my redemption, so I know He highly values me!
Gaining understanding of this was HUGE for me, and continues to grow daily. As I contemplate EVERYTHING Jesus gave up, to come here and take my place, then I begin to realize how great and awesome God’s love is for me. Then I start to understand my worth can never be limited by the opinions of others, and instead is far greater than I can fully comprehend!!
Kris:I wholeheartedly agree with everything Doug says, and I would add this:
My worth is defined only by who God says I am. He created me in His image to reflect a facet of Him that no one else can reflect, and to bring His Glory to every person I interact with and every place I go to.
My worth, as defined by God, is immeasurably invaluable, because He sent His Son to die for me so that my old self could be made new and transformed into His image. There is nothing I can do, no striving for perfection, no person for me to please, no performance I can perfect… that can increase or decrease my worth.
My worth is only defined by the identity I have in Christ. In Him, I am hidden, I am seen, I am loved, I am accepted, I am made new, I have purpose, I have inheritance, I have life, and I am His!
