Fearfully Wonderfully Me

Growing in God and Inspiring Young Women Through Faith and Fashion

Tag: worth

How to Find Your Self Worth

How to Find Your Self Worth

August 16, 2017 / / 10 Comments

This is going to sound totally cliché, but I had a real “God moment” at Chick Fil A a couple of weeks ago.

While I waited for my food, I noticed an older woman sitting in a wheel chair. My heart just melted. For some reason she reminded me of my grandma, who passed away last year.

The woman and I introduced ourselves and discussed flowers. As I was leaving the restaurant, she said something that caught me off guard:

It’s nice to know you. 

How many people do we meet everyday, yet we don’t even really know or see their worth? 

At that moment, when I looked into the woman’s dark yet vibrant eyes, I realized how important it is to actually be known by someone. To slow down and look at a person’s face and take it all in. To find out that their favorite flower is a purple cone flower.

If you want to know the key to finding your self worth, then please keep reading. 

Worth in Creation

There are a lot of people who are lost, not realizing their identity and worth in Christ. I know this because I was that person. As a teenager I didn’t feel like anyone saw me–unless they were looking at my flaws.

I know I’m not the only one who understands these feelings. Many teens and adults have experienced this. Maybe even you, lovely reader.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5 NIV) 

It still blows my mind to know that God created me and set me apart–and it was for His own will and pleasure! You are not an accident, lovely one. No matter what anyone else says–whether they are a parent, friend, or someone else close to you–you matter.

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. (Psalm 139:13-14 NIV) 

Not only are we created by God, but He thinks we’re awesome! Although we are sinners, as soon as we come to know Christ, we are washed clean by His blood. This is when we can shine God’s light and see what He sees in us.

Worth in Relationship

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—” (John 10:14 NIV)

When we choose to follow Jesus, we enter into a relationship with Him that is more dynamic than we could ever fathom. Not only does God know us, but now we can get to know Him.

And that’s not all. Through this lifelong journey, we can also get to know ourselves. We can discover our strengths, weaknesses, and talents. We can watch God’s purpose for our lives unfold as we build a life with Him.

The only way you’ll ever find your worth is if you find yourself in Jesus. You won’t find it in earthly things like work, success, or relationships.

God knows you, and He wants every single piece of your heart. It’s amazing when somebody knows you, but there is nothing like being known by the King who created you. 

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

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The Lie of the Good Enough Christian

October 11, 2016 / / 7 Comments

Most of the time my Instagram feed is filled with posts about fashion and food (which are two things  I am very passionate about). However, there are posts that really make you stop and think wow, I really needed that.

I wanted to share one of these posts from @cultureandgod with you today.

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Do you ever feel like God is unapproachable? Maybe you’ve repented of your sins and asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Now what? How do I become a good enough Christian? How do I prove myself worthy to God?

The simple truth is that you can’t. Sorry to all of my fellow recovering perfectionists out there, but you will never be  good enough to earn salvation. None of us are.

That’s okay, Jesus has us covered. When you realized He died on the cross for you and accepted His Lordship, you were washed in His blood. God no longer sees your sins. When He looks at you, He sees you through the eyes of perfect love.

 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13 NKJV).

Isn’t that freeing? You don’t have to perform or try to earn God’s love. He’s already defeated sin and death. That just really amazes me. I don’t need to be a good enough Christian because I have a better than life Savior!

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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).

Maybe you’re a new Christian, or maybe you’ve been a part of God’s family for decades. Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord, remember that you are now resurrected with Him.

God’s salvation power did not stop at the cross. He conquered the grave–which includes all of the chains that once held you and me back from Him.

You, my lovely reader, can be free from the chains of shame and perfectionism. Just lean on the only God who gave His perfect self in order to win His precious child back.

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

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No Longer Captive, Only Captivated

February 3, 2016 / / 8 Comments

I’m back! I’m so excited to share my experience at Winter Camp with you, my dear readers and followers. As many of you may know, I am a youth leader for the middle and high school youth group at my church. My journey with this youth group has been transformative and honorable, and I’ve learned so much from the students as well as the other leaders, our pastor, and his beautiful wife.

Between the two youth groups at Winter Camp there were over 200 students worshiping Jesus, giving their lives to God, and having a blast! On the third night, we worshiped for four hours and lives were changed. There were also amazing speakers and Bible studies that really cemented this year’s theme: Who I Am.

Of all the themes that could have been chosen, there is not one that could describe my life journey with God any better. This whole year has been about my struggle with identity and finding my worth in Jesus.

Of all the fun times bonding with my church family and the amazing things that happened, there are two things that really changed my life.

Number one was that I got to help lead three students to Christ! Could there ever be a more honorable task? This alone has brought me to tears several times, and I still can’t believe that I got to play such a pivotal role in these students’ journey with God.

Another moment that changed my life is when we were worshiping to No Longer Slaves by Bethel one night and God whispered the words “no longer captive, only captivated” to me.
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(Photo by Me)

It took me a moment to understand this, but when I finally did I was overcome with emotion. For so long I have been held captive by anxiety and trying to be “good enough” for the world and for other people, and it has only hurt the way I see myself.

I now know that my identity is not in what I do or who the world wants me to be. Who I am is God’s daughter–this is my true identity. From now on I no longer want to live captive to this world, but captivated by the love, mercy, and freedom that only comes from Jesus.

 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9 NIV).

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

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

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Worthy or Not?

January 27, 2016 / / 2 Comments

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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)!

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