Live Worthy, Even When You Don’t Feel Like It! -

In a culture obsessed with painting the most perfect and beautiful version of ourselves to the outside world, it can be hard to separate the authentic from the superficial. This creates a cycle of comparison, worry, doubt, and often self-loathing. This cycle easily leads to a heavy toll on our mental health. It is inevitable. It’s this very same cycle that makes it almost impossible to believe the Truth that is given to us in Scripture, about who God says we are. We can find comfort that “Our inner self is being renewed day by day.” However, before we get any further I will be transparent here: this is not something I believe to be true of myself each morning I wake up.

The concept of “WORTH” carries quite a weight in everyone’s life, regardless of cultural background—though perspectives on how one is deemed worthy may vary. Clearly there is something about worth that somehow translates to accomplishment, making it the driving force for most of our human inclinations.

With psychological terms and concepts becoming more and more popular each day, is it a wonder that the most common symptom associated with most mental illness is predominantly feelings of worthlessness.

Why does self-worth matter?

Self-worth matters because we tend to live our lives based on the core attitudes and thoughts we have about ourselves. If we have a low sense of self-worth, we won’t truly be happy no matter what we do to try to fill the void.

We all have an innate desire to be loved, wanted, and accepted. We were created that way. However, if we search for love and acceptance in the wrong places, we will always come up short. There’s no magic program, no motivational speaker, no new diet, no boyfriend, brand new clothes, or amount of wealth that can help us feel loved, wanted, or accepted if we don’t already know where our worth comes from.

Our worth is wrapped up in who Jesus is and what He thinks of us, demonstrated by what He did for us on the cross. There is a God-sized void in our hearts that only He can fill. This is why our hearts naturally desire to glorify God. The deepest parts of us know that we need God. The thing is, when we fill God’s space with other things, we come up empty because nothing else can satisfy the longing of our hearts like He can.

How Do You Believe The Truth?

The truth that I have worth and that I am identified worthy by Christ himself—because of his sacrifice on the cross—is a truth that I often have to work hard to remember. I go through a whole lot of routines daily that help remind me of this truth, however on some days it takes longer to stick. Yet, even though It is a fight to block out the noise of the world and the lies that surround me, I have to keep trying because when I am not doing that, it is easy to remain seated on the merry-go-round ride titled “worthlessness.”

There is often a lot of guilt associated with the struggles of mental health, especially in Christian culture. You may have been made to feel at fault for your struggles or felt as though you are not doing enough. You can rest assured that God does not expect perfection from us. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:26, emphasis added). God allows space for our imperfections, for our failures, to find rest and redemption in him. In fact, He knows we can’t do it on our own. That is why we need a Savior. I can assure you Jesus wants a life of worthiness for you, not a life without it, because He already sees you as worthy, not because of anything you did, but because of His love for you.

The idea of being worthless is not something that can be dug up overnight. It is deep-rooted and it’s going to take some time to shed. I pray once you have read this you feel more, validated, or empowered than you did before.

I definitely don’t have all the answers or even the right words, but I do believe in all of the principles and applications that I shared here today. There is no situation that cannot be rectified by Jesus, but ultimately a life filled with true worth can only be found in Him. Remember God says you are worthy, believe Him a little each day.