The Power of Self-Acceptance and Divine Value

The most ignorant person is he who does not know himself!

The sin of self-devaluation

You may have known or met people who never feel right about themselves. It might be about their looks, race, job, body or anything about their lives. As far as they are concerned, there is nothing good about their lives, but they think that other people’s world is perfect. They live in perpetual self-recrimination, shame and regret even for matters outside their control. You can tell from their look that they are constantly at war with themselves and everything else. I have seen people like that who hate their bodies, reject applause for good deeds and refuse gifts. The worst of all is that people like this don’t believe that there is any possibility of change for good, even if their beliefs about themselves are true. Hence, they feel condemned to backwardness and to playing second fiddle on the stage of life. They are like the mythical ouroboros that consumes its own tail. Self-deprecation is not humility! Rather, it is the result of lack of understanding of who we are. It is an insult to the person and personality of God.

Knowing Your God-assigned Worth

Remember we were made in the image of God. Not only that – he deposited a piece of himself in each of us. Genesis 2:7 reads:

“Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” – Genesis 2:7

God did not create an evolving man; he created a complete being with spirit, soul and body. Some people still think that they are the product of a big bang. The so-called big bang is too accidental and too random to result in the masterpiece called man. You are not an outfall of some cosmic accident that happened in the faraway past. You are a product of divine intelligence! One of the greatest wonders worth contemplating is the conception of a baby. The egg is fertilized and an embryo is formed. The stages of metamorphosis that culminate into birth and the simultaneous adjustment of the mammary gland to produce the milk needed for the baby’s nourishment are simply miraculous. In creation, God simply invested himself in mankind. Little wonder he was willing to let go of his only begotten son for our redemption.

In the mind of God, you are priceless! Even if you have made a mess of your life, he still longs to help you pick up your broken pieces. Even if people have written you off, cast you out and blotted out your name from their books, God has not. This was amply demonstrated at the cross when one of the thieves cried out for forgiveness and was immediately whisked into the kingdom. This is someone who probably lived all his life committing crimes, but when he realized he had ruined his life and genuinely repented, God stepped in. When man fell in the Garden of Eden, instead of destroying him, he immediately set up a redemption plan. Why? Because God cannot destroy himself – man was created indestructible and eternal. If you want to have a peak into the fatherly heart of God read Jeremiah 31:20:

“Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a pleasant child? For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still: therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord” – Jeremiah 31:20

Whether you are like David, a man after God’s heart or like Ephraim who was estranged from the heavenly father, you are of inestimable value to him. This is not to suggest that God glosses over our mistakes and foolishness. Not at all – if you persist in ungodliness, you will face the righteous indignation of God at the end of your life. However, what I am saying is that God is interested in your fulfilling divine purpose and will provide the necessary help. The following Bible passages confirm this fact:

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” – Luke 12:6,7

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand” – Isaiah 41:10

Asserting Your Value

I don’t know what the above passages mean to you, but they mean a lot to me. Take tame and meditate on these passages until your spirit catches on the underlying truth. So you see, you are not some random bundle of coalesced cells floating from nowhere to nowhere. The creator of the universe knows your name, your address and your circumstances. Can you imagine the fact that God has the hairs on your head numbered? I won’t even be surprised nor will it be beyond him if he has a name for each of the thousands of hair strands on my head. What a rude awakening! So the next time someone treats you like a piece of shit, just laugh at them because they are acting in ignorance. If they despise you, do not despise or denigrate yourself. Let all the mistreatments, criticisms, discrimination and cruelty of men roll off you like water falling on a rock. I am not suggesting putting on an arrogant all-knowing and pretentious garb to conceal your foolishness. I am only asking you to accept your entire life as a priceless divine gift, while consistently working on being a better version of you. As Billy Chapata puts it,

“You need to love yourself. Love yourself so much to the point that your energy and aura rejects anyone who doesn’t know your worth.”

Walk with your shoulders raised high not because of what you have but because of who you are in him. You are not just matter, you matter to him! Let this truth sink in and settle the matter once and for all.

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