You Are Valuable

A song came on during my workout this past Tuesday morning that hit me hard. Here are the lyrics:

She just wants to be beautiful.

She goes unnoticed.

She knows no limits.

She craves attention.

She praises an image.

She prays to be sculpted by the sculptor.

As I listened to this song while “sculpting” my body, the words brought back a flood of emotions from being a young girl. I remember watching Miss Teen USA every year. Each winner (and contestant) had the perfect body, smile, hair, skin, and platform. I had high hopes of being that pageant winner one day. That image of beauty was a standard set long ago in my mind and it was the farthest thing from my own image in the mirror. I so badly wanted to be noticed and adored by others. Being beautiful was equivalent to having value. While I’d like to say that I have since shrugged off the robe of insecurity, I can’t. It has even reared it’s ugly head as recent as my trip to Nashville this month. One comment by a stranger ate away at my heart and consumed my mind for the remainder of the weekend into, well, I’m still writing about it ;)

What really troubles me is that this isn’t just a me problem. It’s not even just a girl problem. It’s a really big society problem. It's an us problem. My daughter and son have to face the issue of their own worth and value. They will have to face the images on the screen and compare them with the images in their reflection. They will often be told their value is based solely on what they do or how they perform. The standard the world sets is constantly changing. It is fickle and usually unattainable or at the very least, unhealthy (google “rib cage bragging” if you want an idea). And if I really allow myself to go down this dark path of thought, it will lead me to conclude that there is no escaping it.

However, I know there is a way to escape. We can avoid succumbing to society's minuscule definition of worth. No matter what the world says, I can remember that "I am beautiful because I am fearfully and wonderfully made" by the Creator of the world. His opinion of me doesn’t change with the times, styles, sizes, or even my age. He shows and tells me I am valued. Not only by those people He puts in my life: my loving husband, my adoring children, and my encouraging parents, but by the words He speaks about me.

“For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” -  Ephesians 2:10

The song continues into the chorus with a better message:

There is a hope that’s waiting for your in the dark.

You should know you are beautiful just the way you are.

You don’t have to change a thing, the world could change it’s heart.

No scars to you're beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful.

I realize the desire to be noticed, adored, and valued by others will never completely disappear this side of Heaven. Even as I write this, I wonder how many “likes” I will get. But rather than let what the world says define me, I can choose to focus on where my value truly resides. I want my children to have a role model who is more concerned with what God thinks about her than any other number or image. When I take a moment to stop looking at what I am not and remember whose I am, I am able to walk confidently with that knowledge.

Each week I am going to post a short devotional for you to read through and talk about with kiddos or anyone else in your life. My hope is that it will facilitate some meaningful conversation and ultimately, deepen your relationships.

(Note: I actually find that I need to hear these things and apply them sometimes more than my kids. Feel free to do this on your own if you need a little encouragement)

Engage your kids - Activity: Listen to the song - Scars to You’re Beautiful by Alessia Cara

Talk about it: 

What do you think makes someone beautiful? Valuable?

If someone called you a "masterpiece," how would that make you feel?
What are some things that can help you to see yourself as beautiful/valuable? 

How can you encourage people around you to see themselves as beautiful/valuable?

Read:
You are beautiful for you are fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalm 139:14
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10

Reiterate: You are valuable. You are beautiful. You have purpose.