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Have you discovered your divine worth? That might even be a startling question for you. Listen in on a recent conversation I had with several mom friends:
“Amara no longer wears color. I found her favorite sequined top stuffed in the back corner of her dresser while she wears her plain black T-shirt on repeat.” My friend paused to sip her coffee. “What happened to my little girl who loved glitter, sequins, and bright patterns?”
“The same happened with Gia as she became a tween.” Maria sighed, “A few of my other friends have said the same—at some point young girls switch from wearing clothes that allow them to stand out to muted blacks, greys, and other neutrals meant to blend in.”
“I do the same.” We all looked to our quieter friend, Jess, taking in her head-to-toe beautifully styled, black outfit. “My wardrobe is predominantly black because I don’t want to be noticed.” After a moment’s pause, she quietly added, almost to herself, “I’ve been hiding for as long as I can remember.”
Silence stretched as we pondered Maria’s insightful comment about tween girls and Jess’s unexpected confession. And while our conversation eventually drifted to summer plans and managing kid activities, I’ve been pondering the topic of hiding and discovering our divine worth ever since that conversation.
Are You Hiding?
Not all of us chose to hide behind muted colors, but many of us hide nonetheless. Rather than openly embracing our divine worth, we camouflage our truest selves in different ways: artful makeup; a witty sense of humor, being a workaholic, or the host or hostess with the mostest. The list is long and as varied as we are.
Men and women alike often seek to conform to cultural expectations rather than embrace who God made us to be. We believe the lie that we are too loud, too quiet, too much, not enough, too smart, too dumb, too big, too small, too opinionated, too uncertain, too anxious, too confident, too quirky, too … average … to live authentically as divinely designed creatures unconditionally loved by God.
What God Says About You
We must remember two truths:
1. God loves you unconditionally. Romans 8:35-39, 1 John 4:9-10, Romans 5:8, John 3:16
2. God knew you in the womb, stitching you together with divine intentionality and love. Psalm 139:13-14, Isaiah 64:8, Ephesians 2:10
Living Authentically and Inviting Others to Do the Same
The older I grow, the less content I am to contort myself into whatever socially acceptable form I think the world expects to see. And as I practice living as the woman God intentionally and divinely created, there is joy found in inviting others to join me in discovering their divine worth.
Does that mean we get to act and speak however we like, using the excuse that God made us this way? No, of course not. No matter where we are in our faith journey, we are forever called toward maturing in our faith. We are called to lives practicing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
I can appreciate someone else’s love of fashion even as I embrace the dirt under my fingernails after a day in my garden. Even as I acknowledge my desire to be anywhere other than the kitchen, I can celebrate a friend’s ability to bake. I can cheer-lead someone’s chaotic creativity even as I appreciate my tendency toward overly scheduled organization. We have the privilege of appreciating and calling out the divine worth in God’s creatures around me, even when (especially when) it is different than my own.
God uniquely created us and knows we are works in progress. As we invite ourselves to discover our divine worth, let’s do the same for those around us.
Listen now to a short segment of a meditation from Abide based on Psalm 139. Let God speak to your heart about how well He knows you and how much He loves you.
Next Steps
As you move through your day, week, and month, what parts of your divine design do you need to invite out of hiding?
How can you encourage the people in your life to do the same?
For more help embracing God’s unconditional love for you and your divine worth, check out the Abide app. Our more than 1500 biblical meditations all exists to help you understand God’s great love for you. Use this link for 25% off a premium subscription, giving you access to our entire library of content.
Julie loves encouraging women in their faith journeys through writing and speaking. A co-author of several devotionals, you can follow her at The Ruth Experience online and through social media.
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