Worthy or Not?

Sinner. Bad. Weak. Ugly. Stupid. Dirty. Either we have had these words hurled at us by others, or we have given at least one of them to ourselves. If you are anything like me, then you are one of the many Christians who battle low self-esteem or self hatred.

However, this isn’t working. As Christians we are told to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength–and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Luke 10:27).

How can we love others the way Christ does if we can’t even like ourselves?

So many issues that people, especially teens, face today reflect our failure to see ourselves the way God does. Depression, eating disorders, self-harm, addictions, sexual promiscuity, and other unhealthy behaviors often stem from a root of self hatred. We don’t see ourselves as good or worthy of love, so how can God love us?

First of all, God really does love you.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16 KJV).

It does not surprise God that we aren’t perfect. He knows we screw up. He knows we make mistakes, and that we can’t possibly save ourselves. The Old Testament laws only served to remind humanity that we are inadequate on our own; we need a Savior.

God gave us His perfect, sinless Son Jesus Christ as payment for our sins and short-comings. Now even though Jesus is perfect and lived a sinless life, that doesn’t mean He can’t understand our imperfections. Jesus was tempted in every way we are (Hebrews 4:15), so He totally understands our weaknesses.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Okay, so I’m a new creation in Christ now that I’ve accepted Him as my Savior. So why aren’t I perfect now? Here’s the thing–as Christians, we will still struggle with sin. In fact, the struggle might seem even worse as our hearts are convicted by the Holy Spirit.

Don’t worry. God knows this, and we are still covered by the blood of Jesus. All of our sins–past, present, and future–are covered by the blood of Jesus. This is not an excuse to go on sinning without a care, but it gives us the freedom to walk in the righteousness of Christ.

We are God’s children. You are His precious child. He knows you and loves you. He thinks you’re beautiful.  Even though you still struggle with sin, even though society tells you that you’re not enough, even though life can be hard, God loves you and nothing else can change this.

God’s love is relentless. 

You are worth it to God. You are worth being here. Once you believe that Jesus died for your sins and you surrender your life to Him, God gives you a new heart that is like His.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

Even though our flesh may fail, God knows our hearts. As long as we repent and have faith, He will forgive. The power of Jesus’ blood is greater than any sin we could ever commit. We are no longer stained or in bondage by our past mistakes. Instead we need to walk in the freedom that is made possible by what Jesus did for us!

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment and share 🙂

Just a reminder! This weekend I will be at winter camp with my church’s youth group, so there will be no post on Friday. Please pray for our trip, and that the students experience God in miraculous ways!

Don’t forget to join the #GoLoveSomeoneChallenge on Instagram (@fearfullywonderfullyme)!