You Are Worth More

Sharon JaynesConfidence in Christ, Dealing with Your Past, Expectant Living, Living Fully, Take Hold of the Faith You Long For, Uncategorized 83 Comments

I’m sharing a devotion over at Proverbs 31 Ministries today. I wanted to share this with you too. Here’s what I want you to know: You are worth more!

As a little girl, I never felt I was worth very much.

I always felt I wasn’t pretty enough, smart enough or good enough. I sensed my parents tolerated me but certainly didn’t delight in me. And if your own parents couldn’t love you, then who could?

Then there was the definitive day in the eleventh grade that took my self-worth to an all-time low. I can still remember what I was wearing: lavender bell-bottom low-rise jeans, a bubble knit short-sleeve top, Dr. Scholl’s wooden sandals, and a blue bandanna tied around my head of long, oily hair that I hadn’t had time to wash that morning. This was acceptable attire when I was in high school, except for the days when a special awards or recognition assembly was held.

In homeroom that morning, the principal announced over the intercom that an unscheduled assembly would take place at 11 a.m. to recognize students being inducted into the National Honor Society. That’s when I understood why so many of my friends were dressed a notch above the norm. Their parents had received the secretive congratulatory call the night before and made sure their kids had washed their hair and left the frayed jeans in the drawer.

Some 400 teens found seats in the darkened auditorium. The principal made a speech of commendation from the podium and then said, “Will the following students come forward when your name is called to receive a certificate and a candle to be lit by last year’s inductees?”

The principal called each name, and I watched several of my friends walk across the immense stage. Then, to my horror and surprise, my name was called. Why didn’t my parents warn me, I thought. I look horrible — and I did.

When the houselights went up, I panned the back of the room where proud parents snapped pictures and pointed out their progeny to others standing on tiptoe to catch a glimpse. My parents were not among them — they never were.

I later discovered that my dad had received the call from the school the night before but forgot to tell my mom. Even though they both worked across the street from the school, they didn’t come to the ceremony. In my mind, their absence confirmed what I’d suspected for the past 17 years. I’m just not worth the trouble.

I didn’t care about the certificate or the principal’s accolades. What I really wanted to know was that I had value to the two people who mattered most.

Perhaps you’ve had painful experiences in the past that left you feeling worthless. Jesus wants you to know you have great value. He gave His life so that you would!

Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?” Jesus asked His disciples. “Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31, emphasis added).

In other words …

You are worth more than the money in your bank account.

You are worth more than the number of friends you have on Facebook.

You are worth more than the number of followers on your Twitter account.

You are worth more than the number of meetings and appointments on your calendar.

You are worth more than your successes or failures.

You are worth more than your level of education.

You are worth more than the price tags in your closet.

You are worth more than your accomplishments or lack of them.

You are worth more than many sparrows.

It took many years, but finally I took hold of Jesus’ words: You are worth more. That’s what Jesus wants you to know today.

Oh, Lord, help me to really get this. I’ve spent so much of my life feeling like I’m not good enough. Help me see that because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross and His Spirit in me, I am enough. Help me see I have great worth as a child of God and image-bearer of my Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer with me today, leave a message that says, I am enough!

 

Do you ever feel that you’re not good enough, smart enough, or just not enough, period? If so, it’s time to silence the lies that steal your confidence and awaken the truth that you’re amazingly created and equipped by God. Today’s devotion was adapted from my new book being released April 3, 2018, Enough: Silencing the Lies that Steal Your Confidence. It is an expanded and revised version of the book, I’m Not Good Enough, with 50-percent new material.

 If you pre-order before April 3, you’ll receive a passel of free goodies including 3 FREE e-books: Your Scars are Beautiful to God, Listening to God Day-by-Day, and 5 Dreams of Every Woman.Plus you’ll get a printable set of 24 Truth cards! Click here for more details.

 

 

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Comments 83

  2. I’m enough! I had a Godly Psychiatrist who one told me,”You might feel worthless but you can’t be worthless because of the price God was willing to pay for you, His own Son! Since the value of something is determined by the price someone else is willing to pay makes us priceless and infinitely valuable!” He also helped me to understand that self-loathing, (of which I was queen,) was really pride/false humility, because I was daring to think my opinion of me was more important than His! Thank you for helping others “get” the memo!

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  4. Thank you for sharing your story and then pointing us to God’s thoughts and truths on our identity of who we are in Christ Jesus! May God continue to use you to reach many ladies with truth from his word!

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  20. I know that God loves me, yet I still struggle daily with the mindset that I’m not good enough. Thank you so much for your blog today, Sharon; for reminding me that I AM ENOUGH! God Bless You☀️

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  22. I Am Enough!!! Thank you for the opportunity to read a great book on a problem that has a wonderful solution!!

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  27. Sharon,

    Thank you for this devotional. Yesterday I saw the movie: I can only imagine (song from Mercy Me) which was a perfect example . Everyone at some point in life has had the devil fill their minds with “worthlessness” and it diminishes the beauty and love that God has for each of us. Satan is so adept in distortion and deceit , but we are overcomers with God’s grace. We live in a fallen world which tries to destroy us in so many ways ….thank you for standing strong and encouraging women all over the world. May God bless you in a special way today and may you feel His love and peace upon you and your valuable ministry.

    your sister in Christ

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  32. I needed to hear this today. I struggle from time to time about my worthiness due to my upbringing. I knew I would never lay that on my own children. How could someone intentionally hurt the most precious gifts from God – your children? I wasn’t a perfect mom, but I think my kids knew I loved and cherished them. They, luckily, were never meant to feel like they were a nuisance or unwanted.

    Thank you for letting me know that yes, I am enough. God’s love is truly all I need.

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  34. I am enough. Thank you for sharing this devotion. It is so much needed. Now days the social media shows so much

    stuff. It can be very intimating for women who do not feel they are good enough. I know it is a lie from Satan.

    I struggle every day with this. But I know God wants me to believe Him and His word.

    God bless,

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  38. I have felt not good enough all of my life. As a child my mother always told me she didn’t want me. She always told me how much she hated me. But I no now that god loves me. I am trying to gel his love but it’s hard to think that someone loves me after all these years of being told ur hated.

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  42. I am enough!! Thank you for this reminder Sharon!! One of my favorite songs by Casting Crowns, “Who Am I?” says it so well: “Not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done; not because of what I’ve done, but because of who you are……I am yours!” AMEN

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  43. I am enough!! Thank you for this reminder Sharon!! One of my favorite songs by Casting Crowns, “Who Am I?” says it so well: “Not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done; not because of what I’ve done, but because of who you are……I am yours!” AMEN

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  44. Sharon, I had parents just like yours growing up. I felt like I was barely tolerated by them(at times not even that) There was lots of emotional/psychological abuse.

    I still struggle with feeling worth much. I have all kinds of health problems that I am getting very,very tired of.

    I long to be whole, and healthy in every way!!

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  55. Thank you Sharon for reminding me that I am good enough. I went through the ‘not being good enough’ all my life. I was not good enough in my mother’s eyes so I thought I was not good enough in anyone’s Eyes. All I wanted to hear was ‘ I love you just the way you are’. ‘ you are doing good’ and ‘I’m so proud of you’. Not once did I hear that, even to the day I married and the day i decided to go to college and 58 years old I graduated on the deans list with a 90.5 average .. ! I was so excited. My friends were happy for me but the one person I wanted to hear ‘ I am so proud of you’ was my mom – which didn’t happen :-(. So I now am working on doing for me and what makes me happy and telling others – You are good enough! God loves us ! We are good enough ! (Hugs). And thank you Sharon

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  56. I think everyone feels unworthy at times. For different people it is different things. I was lucky to have parents that instilled self worth into us (I was the oldest of 9), because we really needed it growing up without a lot of things. I don’t think any of us realized that we were poor financially until we were probably in our teens. I have more problems with the feeling now that I am older and have people around me that think I need to been different than I am (and more like them).

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  57. Praise the Lord for this beautiful message, so true, I AM ENOUGH! God Bless your ministry. and God Bless our women, mothers, grandmothers, singles & young! Thank you Lord Jesus!

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  59. Did we all have oily hair back then? I know the feeling about looking for acceptance, wish I’d known earlier that I had God’s.

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  62. Wow – I thought I was the only one with parents like that. You just described what my life was like. Glad to know I’m not the only one, and yet, I’m sorry you had parents like that and had to feel like that.

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  75. Funny I am now 62 years old and it comes rushing back to me how I felt in jr. high and high school. I had friends but I had these other people that thought they needed to explain to me how useless I really was. I have been feeling this again and I know God doesn’t feel this way about me but it does not change the fact I feel this way. Thank you for the reminder of that I am enough.

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  79. Oh my! This story brought back the night I was inducted into the Honor Society. It was a special evening ceremony, so of course I knew about it, as did my parents. But they were working. They had me take a cab to school. I wondered if I was the only one who did not have her parents there. They were good parents, and I know that they loved me, but that evening, I did feel a sting.
    I feel so fortunate to have so many POSITIVE forces in my life that I KNOW that God is Good and that I am enough.

    Reply

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