Have you ever questioned your value? Without a doubt, I can say that I have! As a follower of Jesus, knowing our value in Christ is not just foundational, but it is extremely crucial as we walk out God’s plan for our lives.
I’m afforded the opportunity to wear several different hats in my every day life that range from wife, mom, worship leader, friend, encourager…the list goes on. In every one of these areas I daily have to remind myself of one thing: I am valued by God! Why? Because as human beings, we tend to build our own perception of ourselves on what others have said about us instead of what God says. Can I tell you something? It takes faith to believe what God says about who we are. It’s a choice. It’s not a feeling, because feelings aren’t reliable, and they do not always equal truth!
We have to take hold of the truth of whom God says we are and be ruthless with it.
Otherwise, we will be easily swayed by wrong thoughts, false perceptions or what others think of us.
I can remember when I was 24 years old, and I had the opportunity to be the full time worship leader at a previous church. Being so young in such a valued position, I questioned my ability to lead these people who were considerably older than me. As if I didn’t know it was going to be a challenge, someone said to me, “You think you can lead these people that are older than you?” In my head I was thinking, “Well, I thought I could until you just said that.”
Looking back it’s funny, but that one statement magnified the doubt that I was already feeling. I knew God had called me to lead, and that He was going to help me. Thankfully soon after that encounter, a close pastor friend encouraged me with 1 Timothy 4:12 – “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity” (NLT). Thank goodness for friends that speak the Word over you! To counteract that one negative statement, the Lord’s word was the final voice of truth for that situation. The lesson learned in that moment: My value isn’t wrapped up in what others say about me.
God says so much more about who we are in Him:
- We are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16)
- We are extravagantly loved (John 3:16)
- We are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- We have the victory and we are overcomers (1 John 4:4)
And that’s just a very small amount of scripture…there’s so much more!
Once we have a healthy perception of our value in Christ, we can begin to add value to other people around us.
This is so important no matter what team you are a part of at your church. We as leaders are called to help protect the life giving culture on our teams and in our churches. To do that, we have to remember that we can’t let opportunities, missed or given, define our value. I know personally I’ve had to fight these thoughts on many occasions: ‘did they not think I was good enough? Why didn’t I get that opportunity? Do I need to do something different to make that opportunity open up for me?’
NO is the answer. We can’t let our minds go there because it’s not healthy, and it’s not beneficial to our teams. It’s actually a poison that will pollute anything it touches the more we give place to it.
Let’s always remember that it’s what God says about us that is the most important, not the opinions of man. Today if you find yourself giving more thought to what others are saying than what Jesus says about you, just know it’s never too late to start thinking differently.
We must renew our minds daily with His Word, and let His voice be the sound in our hearts. Then, and only then, we can rest in knowing our value.