When You Know Your Worth

When you know your worth,
you'll know when it's time to let go....

Of people who let go of you first.
of habits that no longer serve you positively.
Of time-wasting actions that lead to a purposeless existence.
Of negative thoughts that leave your heart in pieces. 
of memories that only serve to remind you of your mistakes. 
of behaviors that don't match your values. 
of words that damage others' hearts.
of carelessness that leads to another's heartbreak.
of hatred and unforgiveness that only holds back your love for others. 
of self-destruction, self-hatred, self-pity, self-focus. of self. 
of opinions that are meant to tear another down instead of listen and share. 
of putting yourself above everyone and everything else.
of listening to all the wrong voices and forgetting to listen to the One. And your own. 
of lies you've been told your whole life. You won't believe them anymore. You know your truth. 
of what everyone else thinks of you. You know who you are now. Be proud. 
Of your failures. They are your lessons  you won't repeat the same ones twice. 
Of your shame. There is so much good in you and you know that now. 
Of your guilt. You have forgiven yourself and moved on from the past. It's over. 
Of your need to control everything. The outcome isn't dependent on how good we are. 
Of your need to control the actions of everyone else. Most times it's not about us anyway. 
Of needing to be right all the time. You are ready to learn from others now. 
Of thoughtlessness. People who feel worthy want others to feel worthy too. 
Of requiring a "title", an income, a wedding band, or whatever else you think you need to show "worth" to the world. No. You are worth so much more than anything you could ever own or be. 

I felt compelled to share a post about self worth today, because I feel we all struggle at some point or another with this, and it filters into our lives disguised as other issues. I've heard other people say not-so-nice things about others being "insecure" and "that's why they do this or that". I don't know. I don't think that's very nice or accurate most times, unless we're analyzing someone professionally or know them personally. I think people just struggle with knowing who they are and how much they are loved. People do things because they don't feel they measure up in life, maybe because they don't feel they are worth more. If only all people knew...

My mom and I were talking the other day and she mentioned how she still gets teary-eyed when she thinks about God giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. How we can be sinners still, and He would still do that for us, not because we are worthy of it, but because He loved us that much. So, what's our connection?

We don't get to decide if people are worthy or not before we decide we're going to love them. God told us to "love one another" for a reason. He knew we were going to be a judgy bunch! He knew we weren't going to like each other sometimes and maybe he could foresee what we were going to do in this crazy world, and knew it would only get worse. But if we knew how much He loved us, then maybe we would be able to then share that same love with someone else? Yes. That's why you need to know your worth. Because if you walk around feeling like you don't measure up and you're just a big old mess of junky failure, then how are you ever going to love anyone else with the kind of love God asks you to?

I want to love better and I don't always see my own worth, but I'm learning to let go of the things that hold me back and don't allow me to fully walk in the light God set for me. I want you to know that you were made for love and you are worth far more than you can imagine even if your feelings don't line up with that sentence! Even if your circumstances don't match. You are what my kids used to say. "You are a masterpiece made by God. There is no one like you and there will never be another you ever again!"

Be blessed...