Feeling unworthy or having thoughts of low-self worth is a lonely space to be in. What makes it more lonely is that these thoughts usually come from within, you are beating yourself up – “I am not good enough”, “I can’t”, “What is even the point in trying?”.
These thoughts and feelings stem as a direct result of how you view yourself. It is extremely easy to walk through life and project an image of yourself that you want others to see but who are you when no one else is around? The confident, composed image you portray of yourself – is that the real you?
How highly do you esteem yourself? What is your worth? Do you view yourself as valuable? Do you see the greatness within you? Or do you feel unworthy? Of low regard? Worth is the way in which a person or a thing is valued. Self-worth goes deeper to look at the way in which you value yourself.
There was a time in my life when I truly hated myself. I felt insignificant and of low value, I genuinely believed that the world would be better off without me in it. Whilst these may be extreme and somewhat irrational thoughts, for me in that space of life, they were very real.
Many go through life feeling unworthy, of little value and insignificant. We compare ourselves to others, constantly putting ourselves down. We set ourselves standards of perfection which are impossible to reach. We speak to ourselves so negatively, words that we would never say to another person – why wouldn’t you feel unworthy?
When it comes to the value of ourselves, we must look at how we are measuring that value. Are you measuring your worth based on what you have and what you do or who you are? For me, I placed a lot of my worth in what I could do and in pleasing others. If I could work hard, especially academically, and please those around me then I must be of some value to them. But the problem with this is, what if you do not get the approval you so deeply seek? What if you go crazy out of the desperation to please others?
Your worth should never be based on the number of friends you have, the likes & following you have on social media or the way you look or the job that you have. These things may make you feel better, but they are not what you should place your worth in.
Our worth should first, and always, be founded on who we are in Christ and the sacrifice that was made for us. God sees you as valuable, such that He sacrificed Jesus Christ that we may be free from sin and every darkness. That is where you should place your worth, know deep within you that you are of value to the One who made the world.
For me, coming to Christ and learning of the great sacrifice He made for me broke off a lot of these chains of approval seeking. It is not an overnight process and, truthfully, there are still areas that I am working on, but the fact is – Christ died for us all. That alone should let you know your value.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NLT)
God showed His love toward us by sending Christ and He did all this while we were still sinners. God took this action before you even made the decision to follow Him, He made this action knowing that you may reject the gospel. He made this decision with you in mind because YOU are of value to God.
The first step to overcoming feelings of low self-worth is knowing that you are of worth to God. You must acknowledge this, accept it and believe it. This love from God is not something that you have to work for, you do not have to do some tasks before you get it – the condition is that you only believe. Believe and know that you are loved, valued, and accepted. This is the beginning of your walk toward freedom.
The more I have meditated on this in my own life, the more I see myself feeling security in Christ and the less I need to seek that security in people or things. Regardless of what job I have, Christ loves me. Regardless of what I look like, Christ loves me. Regardless of the people I have around me, Christ loves me. My worth is found in Him – to God I am important. And, since believing this, it has helped my relationships with others. I can relate with people from a place of love rather than to seek acceptance and approval.
By reading this post, I hope that you are encouraged and inspired to find your worth in Christ. Stop telling yourself that you are not enough. Stop basing your value on what you have or do but, instead, know of your value to God and know of your worth to Him. I encourage you today to meditate and reflect on the love God has for you, so much so that He gave Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for you. Be encouraged, be filled with hope, and believe that you are loved.
Transformed by Abba 