I’ve
been learning a lot over the past several months about the value people have.
Seeing my value is something I have struggled with, and I have learned that I
am far from being the only one who struggles with this. I was reading a friend’s
blog several months ago, and she said that God told her that most people feel
that “life is pointless and they feel worthless.” I think there is a lot of
truth to this statement. As I have gotten to know more people and hear their
stories, I have realized how many people are living with feelings of hurt and
hopelessness. I want to help people see that they have value, that there is
hope, and that their lives have meaning.
Several
months ago I told my friend that I didn’t know what my purpose for living
was...or if I did know my purpose, I was afraid I would never be able to
fulfill it. I guess I had thought of my purpose in terms of my career. If I
wasn’t able to succeed at my career or do what I thought I should do with my
life, then what would my purpose for living be? My friend reminded me that I
was not made just to do things; I was made to be. She told me, “Your existence brings joy.” It was a new idea for
me that I don’t have to earn my worth.
Earlier
this fall, I was going through a really hard time. I was depressed and felt
worthless and in the way. I had come to the point where I thought, “If life
doesn’t get any better, then I don’t really want to keep living.” Fortunately,
since I had gone through times like this before, I knew that things would
probably get better in time. I was talking with my friend about this, and she
told me, “God wouldn’t have created you if you weren’t supposed to be here.”
She reminded me that Jesus died on the cross for me; this shows how much He
loves and values me! She told me to read Psalm 139.
“For
you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise
you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I
know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the
secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes
saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How
vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains
of sand.” –Psalm 139:13-18
With
the help of God and some amazing friends, I’ve been able to see that, because
God created me, I am valuable, and my life has purpose.
All
this to say...God created you, so you are supposed to be here! He planned every
day you would live (Psalm 139:16). Jesus gave up his life for you, which shows
how much value he places on your life. We don’t need to be afraid to live, because
God will always be with us (Isaiah 43:1-4; Hebrews 13:5). If you are alive, you
are alive for a reason. You are irreplaceable. You are valued. You are loved.
