Valuable

There's one thing I wish every single female out there would come to realize, take to heart, and truly embrace...

I think if we look long enough and hard enough in the mirror, we'll all see a scared little girl staring back at us. I don't care how self-assured you are. I don't care how much you seem to have your life put together. I don't care if you've got a Barbie figure and an Einstein mind. When we start to peel back the layers we've built up around our hearts, there are always insecurities of some sort.

I don't know when it started for you...

• Some little girls have been scarred early on in childhood. It might not have been something traumatic. Sometimes she just doesn't have the privilege of crawling up into her daddy's lap and knowing that he loves her. She's not shown how precious she really is. And a few bricks start being laid around her little heart to protect it from disappointment.
• Some girls grow into adolescence and start comparing themselves to all the other girls around them. She's trying to climb the ladder, but never seems to be good enough or pretty enough. She alters her image. She tries to fit in and be popular. And a few bricks are laid around her heart to protect it from insignificance.
• Some girls grow up in a relatively safe environment, but start to flounder when facing the realities of facing life alone. She sees her friends all get married, and she starts to wonder what's wrong with her. She starts dating someone who doesn't meet standards...just so she won't be alone...and she gives away pieces of herself that can't be taken back. And a few bricks are laid around her heart to protect it from guilt and shame and regret. 
• Some girls marry the man of their dreams, and then the dream crumbles in the harsh reality of life. She wilts during arguments and pulls away during conflict. She can't understand why the fairy tale isn't coming true. And a few bricks are laid around her heart to protect it from abandonment and loneliness.

Your story may be something completely different, but it's still led to a similar fundamental weakness. And if the right buttons are pushed long enough and hard enough, your determined resolve will disintegrate. Your story may be different, but I think all stories come back to the same bottom line issue...to the same underlying question: What is the foundation of your self-worth?

If there was only one thing that I could communicate to women of all ages, it's this: "You are valuable." 

The problem is that we tend to look for our value in all the wrong places. We look for approval from people. We try to fit a certain mold; look a certain way; maintain a certain weight. We seek happiness in relationships; in accomplishments; through children. And yet we never get to know who God created us to be as individuals. We never learn to find contentment in Him. We never realize how unique and wonderful He's made us. And ultimately, we fail to realize that we are beloved daughters of the Creator of the universe, and as such, we are significant and valuable.

There is nothing here on earth that will satisfy that longing in your heart, and you will continue to find futility in searching for significance outside of a relationship with your Father who loves you more than anything. Let that sink in. It's seems like such a simple concept, but it's one that holds depth beyond comprehension: Jesus loves you. [He has] loved you with an everlasting love. He loves you just the way you are. You are beautiful. He's calling, "Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me." You are a priceless treasure, and you are exceedingly valuable.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?