You Are Worthy

Since the start of the month of February, people are talking about the coming Valentine’s Day. Almost every establishment I went to have decorations with either a red balloon or a heart shape posted on their wall, or the combination of these.

You can also feel this season of love in the web. Netizens have their way of expressing their excitement and enthusiasm on this much awaited February 14 and post it on twitter, instagram or facebook.

Some are happily married. Some are happy with their boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Some are happy being single. By the way, not all single are happy being single: some singles are looking for a partner; and some are emotionally unstable single who have not been able to move on from their past relationship.

I don’t know what status are you right now. I don’t know where you’ve come from. But whatever you’re going through right now, understand that you are valuable, you are worthy.

Our value is intrinsic. It is not something you and I have earned; indeed we cannot earn it. God built value into us when He created us. That means you can stop obsessing about all your faults and give yourself a break.

Some people are always putting themselves down. “I’m so slow.” “I’m unattractive. Look at my height; look at my nose?” “How can I live? My boyfriend dumped me.” “I was rejected by the woman I’m courting, maybe she’s right; I look like a toad.”

Don’t be so hard on yourself!

The Scripture says we are God’s workmanship. The word workmanship implies that you are not yet a finished product; you are a “work in process.” Certainly, there may be some things in your life that you aren’t happy about; you may have some habits you need to break. But remember, God is not finished with you. Whether you realize it or not, right now God is moving you onward toward greater things.

Imagine that I’m handing you a new, crisp one-thousand-peso bill. Would you want it? Probably so! Suppose I crumpled it up so it wasn’t quite as good-looking as it was. Would you still want it? Sure! But what if I took it out in the parking lot, threw it on the ground and stomped on it until the bill was barely perceptible? Would you still want it?

Of course. Why? Because it is still valuable despite the rough treatment it has experienced.

That’s the way God sees each one of us. Sometimes we feel like that one-thousand-peso-bill, all crumpled and soiled. But just as that one-thousand-peso-bill still has value, we do too! In fact, we will never, ever lose our value.

Our value has been placed in us by God and nobody can take it away from us.

Friend, no matter what you go through in life, no matter how many disappointments you suffer, your value in God’s eyes always remain the same. He will never give up on you so don’t give up on yourself.

Develop a Prosperous Mind-set

There’s this young man in the Old Testament by the name of Bosh.

Okay, it’s Mephibosheth (can we just call him Bosh?). He was the grandson of King Saul and the son of Jonathan.  You may recall that Saul’s son, Jonathan, and David were best friends. They actually entered into a covenant relationship, similar to the ancient covenant of being “blood brothers.” That means whatever one had, it belonged to the other. Moreover, in the covenant relationship, if something were to happen to one of these two men, the remaining “brother” would be obliged to take care of the other’s family.

King Saul and Jonathan were killed in the battle on the same day, and when word got back to the palace, a servant grabbed Bosh, Jonathan’s little son picked him up, and took off running. Going out of Jerusalem in such haste the servant tripped and fell while carrying the child. Bosh became crippled as a result of the fall. The servant transported Jonathan’s son all the way to a city called Lodebar, one of the most poverty-stricken, desolate cities in that entire region. That is where Bosh, grandson of the king, lived almost his entire life. Think about that. He was the grandson of the king, yet he was living in those terrible conditions.

David succeeded Saul as king, and years later, long after Saul and Jonathan were memories in the minds of most people, David asked his staff the question in 2 Samuel  9:1 “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul that I could show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?” Remember, that was part of the covenant Jonathan and David had entered.

One of David’s staff members replied, “Yes, David. Jonathan has a son that’s still alive, but he’s crippled. He lives in Lodebar.

David said, “Go get him and bring him to the palace.”

When Bosh arrived, he was no doubt fearful.

But David said to him, “Don’t be afraid. I’m going to show kindness to you because of your father, Jonathan. I’m going to give you back all the land that once belonged to your grandfather Saul. And from this day forward, you will eat at my table as though you are one of my sons.”

David treated Bosh as royalty. After all, he was the grandson of the king. And David was in a covenant relationship with father.

Bosh’s life was transformed instantly – that’s the good news – but think of all the years that he lived in that dirty city of Lodebar. All the while, he knew he was royalty. Beyond that, it was commonly known that David and Jonathan were in a covenant relationship. Based on that alone Bosh knew he had rights.

Why didn’t he just go into the palace and say, “King David, I’m Jonathan’s son. I’m living in poverty down in Lodebar, and I know that I’m made for more than that. I’m here to claim what belongs to me through my father’s covenant relationship with you.”

Why did Bosh settle for mediocrity? We catch a clue from his initial response to David. When David told him that he was going to take care of him, the Bible says, “Bosh bowed his head low and he said. ‘Who am I that you notice such a dead dog like me?”

Do you see his self-image? He saw himself as defeated, as a loser, as a dead dog.

Yes, he was the grandson of the king, but his image of himself kept him from receiving the privileges that rightfully belonged to him.

Why did I share you that story? Because for once in our lives, if not many times, we do the same thing. Confession, I was like Bosh. I saw myself as a dead dog. My self image was so contrary to the way God sees me that I miss out on God’s best. Thankfully I’m thinking and seeing a new perspective. I’m learning to see myself as what God sees me. And God sees us as champions.

Friends, start stepping up to the dinner table. Start enjoying God’s blessings for you. Develop a prosperous mind-set, seeing yourself as the royalty God made you to be.