In a post self-help world, we hear many things about “telling yourself you are valuable”.  This works great if you happened to be in a place where you generally feel good about yourself, but what happens if you see nothing good when you look in the mirror?  I’ve grappled with this personally as someone who grew up looking more like Hiccup on How to Train a dragon rather than Arnold Schwarzenegger.  I spent my days wondering if I would ever measure up.  This continued until I realized some truths about value and where it comes from.  Value is define as the worth of something; usefulness or importance (per Meriam-Webster Dictionary).  While we make judgments in our minds every day regarding the usefulness of something we are only setting the relative value not the actual value.  We can only specify its value in relation to us and our needs.  We cannot say a hammer is not valuable simply because we need a screwdriver right at this moment, can we?  Therefore, we are not able to assign an actual value to anything.  In the same way others are not able to either for the same reasons.  God is truly the only one who can assign value.  If that’s really the case than how do we know we are valuable?  I would propose these 4 reasons:

1.) We were created in His image (Genesis 1:26-28).  When we read the creation account only man and woman are mentioned as created in the image of God.  This is a special designation followed up by a “Very Good” at the end of the sixth day.

2.) He desires to dwell with us (Genesis 1, Matthew 1:23, Matthew 28:18-20) These are but a few examples of how God desires to be with us.  Let us remember this is the God of the universe, perfect and holy and yet He desires to dwell with us His fallen creation.  Not only that but His Spirit lives in us.  You can’t get any closer than that!

3.) He gives us His best (Genesis 2:15-25, John 3:16)  He gave us a perfect place to dwell in the beginning and then established a perfect savior that we may be able to dwell in His perfection with Him forever.  Romans 5:8 and Ephesians 2 reminds us that this is not earned favor with God, but grace.  He has chosen to give us His best not by our works but by His own.  Philippians 2 reminds us of Christ’s obedience unto death and even death on a cross.

4.) He gives us a purpose (2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 2:8-10)  We have been made “new” for the purpose of investing the Gospel into peoples lives as ambassadors and reconcilers of Christ and walking in the good works he prepared for us.  He has entrusted us with the most important information on the planet!

Unfortunately these truths are either often not understood or forgotten.  We must remember that our usefulness is not based on our ability but based on the value we receive by being one of His children.

May you be blessed today knowing that you are valuable in the eyes of your Heavenly Father!