Am I Worth It???
By Mark S. Simpson
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
Have any of you ever wondered if you were worth the life that God gave you? Have any of you looked at your past and shook your head in disbelief and looked at yourself and wondered why God was so merciful towards you? Ever felt like you were damaged goods that couldn’t be used? Ever been taken advantage of so much that you don’t know what is good anymore? I’m going to out on a limb and say that every one of us has been there before. I know that I’ve been there before. I looked at my past and shook my head in disbelief baffled that God could look at me and deem me worth it still. There comes a point when we ask the question…”Am I worth it?” Do you want to know the truth? The answer is…YES!!!! Want the proof? Glad you said yes!!! Check it out!!
In John 3:16 it says, “For God sol loved the world that He gave His one and only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (New International Version) If you put your name in the place of the word “world” that verse takes on a totally different meaning. God, yes God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords looked at us and said, “I love hm/her so much that I’m willing sacrifice the only thing that means everything to me.” You are and still are worth it to God. Why? If you are a Christian you are a child of God. Want the proof? Cool…John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” (New International Version) What does this mean? When you accept Christ into your life, you become part of the body of Christ, the church, His bride, the chosen...the forgiven. Not only that but when you accept Christ in your heart to rule your life, He sees you through His Son’s eyes. He no longer sees you as a sinner, He sees you as His child. The Chosen? What do you mean by the chosen? Sounds like a cult…anything but my friend. When you become a child of God, you are a recipient of everything that God has…you are a child of the King!! A perfect explanation of this verse is found in 1 Peter 2:9 where it says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (New International Version)
I can remember when I first became a double amputee, I wondered if I was still worth it. “But Mark you only lost your legs”. Yes I understand, but the past is not the only thing that can cause you to question whether or not your worth it to God. I cannot begin to explain the feeling of waking up in that hospital room and looking down and seeing no legs. Not that the legs were workable in the first place because they weren’t. However, at that moment in my life, I didn’t know if I was still usable. Well what got you out of that mindset? Complete trust and reliance in God Himself and nothing more. Complete reliance? Complete trust? What does that look like? Let me explain…
Ever felt like you’ve hit rock bottom and you can’t go up, down, left or right? That’s where I was at. I had no choice to surrender to God’s plan for my life. I had to come to a point where God could mold me into something beautiful. At that point I thought that legs defined me. .I didn’t realize that God could use someone with no legs. I remember lying in that hospital bed just wondering what my next move was. But you know what? God had already planned out my next move… I just had to be willing to submit to His control over my life. I did and you know what? It was the best choice I could’ve ever made. There maybe some of you reading this and saying, “I’m beyond God’s reach…I’ve done so many bad things there’s nothing God can do to save me.” Can I give you some hope? It doesn’t matter what you have done in your life, God can take that brokenness and turn into something beautiful. “But Mark, I’ve been trampled on, used, taken advantage of, how can expect God not to do the same thing?” Everything that I just described goes against the very nature of God. God would never take advantage of you…He’s never taken advantage of me. AND HE NEVER WILL!!!! God is a perfect God, it’s not in His nature to sin or do wrong. Everything that God does is for a reason. To better understand Him and the plan that He has for us. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, “For I know the plans that I have for you says the Lord. Plans not to harm you but to help you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (New International Version) God’s plans are perfect, we are the ones that mess it up because we lack to trust and believe in His divine intervention.
God is in the business of using broken people. Yes, broken people. How do I know this…He used me. Probably the most broken individual of this generation, my low self esteem, low self view of who I was period almost destroyed my very being. Why? Because I was looking at myself through my eyes…not His. There might be days when you wake up and see yourself as not worth it, inadequate or foolish. We may exhibit those feelings but I’m here to tell you that God does not make things that are inadequate, worthless or foolish. We refuse to see ourselves to look through the eyes of Christ because satan enjoys it when we fall and have a low self-esteem of ourselves. Because it’s just another day that we fail to do the work of Almighty God and it brings satan great satisfaction.
So what can I do about it? How can I get over this feeling of self worthlessness? Easy, start looking at yourself through the eyes of God. One of the most beautiful passages of scripture is found in Psalms 139 where David is just giving praise to God and acknowledging God’s existence in His life. Isn’t about time you heeded the voice of God yourself? Now I’m not going to sit here and say that every day is going to be a walk in the park because it’s not. But, your relationship with God is key to you seeing yourself differently. I know I’ve been working on it daily. In moments that I feel foolish and inadequate, I too have to remind myself of God’s love and patience with me. In times I didn’t deserve it. Here’s the reality…you are worth it to God!!! He gave His Son Jesus Christ for you…yes you!!! He loves you very much and there’s nothing more that He desires in His heart than to have a relationship with you. He’ll take that past, forgive you and take you into His arms of love. Take the past, don’t hang on to it, use it as a learning block a stepping stone to get you to the next level. Don’t be bitter, do better. Here’s a reality for all of us…There’s absolutely nothing you can do about the past…but there’s a lot you can do for the future. (selah)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj5fMIKe47w
Good song with a lot of truth in it..backs up everything I've just described.
