Worth

My husband and I are in the midst of raising four teenage daughters…yes, that’s right, four girls between the ages of 13 and 19. Our oldest will be 20 in a few months, so there is light at the end of the tunnel! Raising these kids always puts me in mind of where they get their sense of worthiness. It’s in our human DNA to belong. This is especially true in kids. When we belong to a group, we feel a sense of worthiness and well-being and are at peace. Instead of my kids getting their sense of belonging from the world, which is fleeting and ever changing, I want them (and me!) to get it from the Lord, who is eternal and everlasting.

I was recently listening to a secular podcast about worthiness, or what it is to feel like you’re “enough”. I listened to what the speaker said about human beings being hardwired for connection, and that the more we believe we’re “enough,” the less we feel a sense of unbelonging. She pondered how to get to where we believe we’re enough–how do we get to a sense of worthiness, a sense of love and belonging? What can people do? I wanted to shout out over the internet, ”I know how! It’s Jesus!” As believers we know that it’s because of Jesus’ love for us and His sacrifice that we are made worthy. As believers we are “enough” because He made us enough. We know God loves us because while we were sinners, He sent His son to die for us (Romans 5:8). We belong because we have been adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:17). The world says to try harder, look within yourself, that it’s what we do or look like that matters. God says to have peace, because He has “overcome the world.” (John 16:33) 1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” (ESV)

We can pin our sense of worth and belonging to our friends and families who, even though they love us, will let us down at some point. God’s love, however, is steadfast and everlasting: “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” (Psalm 136:26, ESV). We need to know that we’re enough based on the finished work of Jesus and that we belong to an eternal family; we are worthy because Jesus’ sacrifice made us worthy. It’s not because of anything we’ve done, but because of everything that He has done.

Becki is a wife and mother of four girls who is passionate about God’s Word and telling others about the saving grace and love of Jesus Christ.  You can read more from Becki here.  You can also listen to our Bible studies by tuning in to your favorite radio station, listening to our podcast on iTunes, or listening through TuneIn or Stitcher online radio.