Do you know your own worth?
I know it’s a bit of a deep question to grapple with over morning (or afternoon) coffee, but how you answer can have a greater impact than you may realize. You may answer differently depending on how you grew up, experiences that you’ve had, or people you have known that have influenced how you see yourself, for better or worse.
At the end of the day, though, there is one measure by which we can know our true worth, and one voice that cuts through the noise of the world to remind us of our immeasurable worth: the voice of God himself and what He says about us.
The whole of the Bible communicates God’s unfailing, and unchanging love for us as His creation and beloved children. When we take God at His word about who He is and who He says we are, it changes everything about how we navigate the world. God’s love for us empowers us and gives us the hope and courage to boldly step forward in faith in ways we never imagined.
In Mark 5:21-34, we see this courage and hope in a woman who suffered with ongoing bleeding. We don’t know her name because it’s not mentioned in Scripture, but we know about her situation and how it would have defined her.
She had been dealing with her hemorrhaging for twelve long years, that must have felt like a lifetime. Considered perpetually unclean by the Jewish laws and customs of her time, she would have lived her life as an outcast. No one could touch her without also being considered unclean themselves, and she would have not been allowed in many places in the community, including worship. She had tried everything, spent all her money on treatments and doctors, only to have her condition worsen. Her suffering affected every area of her life, impacting how others saw her, and especially how she saw herself.
It wasn’t until Jesus was walking through town, that she dared to hope and took a bold leap of faith. She had heard about Jesus and believed that if she could just touch the hem of His robe, that she would be healed. Her faith in God and belief that He loved her, prompted her to act, and when she touched Jesus’ clothes, she was instantly healed. In the verses that followed, we see a beautiful affirmation of how Jesus valued her:
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:30-34
Where others might have regarded this woman as an inconvenient interruption, Jesus saw a precious daughter of God, worthy of his time and full attention. He restored her physically, mentally, spiritually, and also restored her to community.
Jesus set her free from her old identity as one who suffered, and gave her a new identity as “daughter”. So now the woman who had no name to mention at the beginning of her story, now had one: Daughter. She went from belonging nowhere, to belonging to the family of God. The suffering that had once defined her, was now a beautiful testimony pointing to the Savior.
Christ’s intention is not for us to define ourselves by the depth of our difficulty, or by the value the world or others place on us, but by the infinite measure of His love. He also calls us daughter, and it’s in the safety of His love and grace, that our soul feels it’s worth. When we know our worth as daughters, and our relationship with Christ is the thing that defines us, it affects every aspect of our lives as well.
A woman whose identity is firmly rooted in Christ…
Knows her worth in Him. She has “God-confidence” not based on how she performs or feels, but based on the One in whom she puts her trust. She recognizes how God has created her uniquely for a purpose in His kingdom. She values the traits that God has given her and looks for ways to use her gifts to worship God and bless others.
Because she knows she is loved, she more easily sees the belovedness of others, and values how God has created them uniquely as well. She is able to show the love of God, even outside of her comfort zone, because she sees others through the eyes of Christ.
When worldly pressures rush in, she has the strength and confidence to stand firm in her faith and make wise choices about the company she keeps and her actions. (Prov. 13:20) She has a voice and experiences peace when saying no to situations that put her spiritual, physical, and emotional health in jeopardy. She knows her worth is not tied up in the approval of others. Rather her worth rests securely in the One who faithfully guards her heart, mind, and soul with the utmost love and care.
She is able to discern where the Lord is leading her in her decisions big and small, according to His Word and His Will. This might look like turning down a job that looks doesn’t align with God’s priorities and calling on her life, or saying yes to an opportunity where she can use her gifts and who God created her to be to be a blessing to others and expand God’s Kingdom.
A woman who knows her worth in Christ will turn to Him for strength, and find a peace and perseverance that she could never have on her own. Even when things are hard, she has hope and joy through the Holy Spirit, and when she feels low, she can count on God to lift her up.
When conflict arises in relationships, she has the power to pray and process and problem solve with the Lord. She can recognize and set healthy boundaries for herself and work toward forgiveness or reconciliation from a place of healing instead of injury.
And when she falls short and causes others pain, or when she sins, she can lay her pride aside and ask for forgiveness because she is not defined by her sin or mistakes, but by what God says is true about her.
Can you imagine the impact that a movement of women like this could have? If we knew our worth and passed down the confidence that comes from knowing who we are in Christ to the next generation, and then they helped the next generation, and the next, and so on, how might the world be different? What would we be free to do if we allowed God to work through us in the all ways He has intended?
Jesus said he will do immeasurably more through His power at work within us! His power is greater than our own. It fuels us and overflows out of us and impacts our family and neighbors. We have been given an identity in Christ and the power to impact this world for Him.
This is why Revive Ministries exists – to proclaim that because He calls you daughter, you are worthy of Jesus’ time, affection, redemption, and the wholeness and healing He brings. Because He calls you daughter, you are safe in His unshakeable Kingdom and you get to live the abundant life that He offers. So we invite you to dare to hope, to take a big bold leap of faith and lean into the love of Jesus. He loves you so much that He laid down His life so you could live in freedom and joy!
May you know your worth as one who is seen, known and deeply loved by God. May you know your worth as a daughter of the King!
