Believe in your INFINITE Worth.
We are conditioned, by the world we grew up in, to believe that our worth- or our value-
is something that must be defined in finite terms.
I am of value, because I am beautiful.
I am of value, because I am thin.
I am of value, because I am intelligent.
I am of value, because I have an education.
I am of value, because I play the piano well.
I am of value, because I am fashionable.
Etc, Etc, Etc
The danger in defining worth in these finite ways is that whenever something happens to challenge our thinking, our faith in our own value crumbles.
When I started college, I defined myself very clearly. I was beautiful, I was intelligent, and I was talented. I felt very confident in myself and in my abilities and had a very healthy self esteem. I knew that I could do anything.
However, it didn't take me very long, to realize I was surrounded by other women who were gorgeous, talented, and intelligent.
I suddenly felt very small, and insignificant, and began to challenge the picture I had painted for myself of who I was. Then the rosy future I had planned began to falter. I got very sick and couldn't sing- which was a HUGE part of my self defined identity, and my MAJOR. My 2 1/2 year relationship with my boyfriend ended (it was mutual, but it was still a huge readjustment for me mentally). I fell head over heels for another boy who didn't love me back, and then to top it off I overheard myself being described as an airhead by a close friend.
Can you imagine how I felt?
Everything I had used to define myself had been challenged.
One night in particular, I felt...so alone...so completely alone. Most of my friends and pretty much the entire campus was at a fancy dance that I had VERY much wanted to attend, and had not been invited to. I had been very sick recently, and had been told by a doctor that it was "all in my head" and that I needed to wake up and realize that I wasn't the perfect person I thought I was, and to admit to myself that I had sins I hadn't repented of, or I wouldn't be feeling this way." (I ended up having an undiagnosed heart condition that was surgically repaired a few years later...take THAT shady doctor!)
Anyway I was lying on our picnic table in our front yard staring up at the stars, and feeling so very alone, when I began to sing "Somewhere Out There" softly to myself. Far away I had a tiny little 7 year old sister, and we would sing that song to each other over the phone when she missed me. (Shannon)
I realized, as I sang the words that there was someone out there who loved me no matter what,
not just my little sister,
not just my little sister,
but God, my Loving Father in Heaven.
I felt suddenly encompassed by a warm blanket, even though the night was chilly, and felt my Fathers love for me, and my infinite worth to him, in that moment. INFINITE.
Never ending, and without limits.
My life didn't suddenly get easier. I didn't meet my prince charming the next day, and my health didn't get better for years to come. But in that moment I realized that my value, and my worth, had nothing to do with the ways I had defined myself. I began to work a little harder on appreciating my relationship with my father in heaven. When things got worse, he was there beside me.
Ladies, WE put the limits on our value. We are the ones who believe we are only of worth "if we are __________".
Our Father in Heaven loves us no matter what.
He loves us in our weak moments, as much as he loves us when we are
doing something Amazing.
You are a princess, a Daughter of a King. And when YOU know and BELIEVE in this infinite worth, everything else becomes a little less important. You are freed from the restraints you have put upon your own value, and you can become whatever, whomever you want to become.
I challenge you this week, to find faith in yourself and your relationship with God. Get down on your knees, even if you think you have forgotten how, and simply talk. Ask your father in heaven for a little more confidence in your own value. I promise you, if you ask- in faith, you will find the answers you are looking for.
I want to share a video that shows one Young Woman's Journey through self discovery. Lindsay Stirling is a favorite in our house, and after watching this, we love her a little more- if that's even possible.
-Aleesha Bake
