How often do I let people’s off-the-cuff comments sabotage my self-esteem? How often do I let my performance define my self-worth? Don’t let the world dictate your value. You are not the sum total of what you have done or not done, of your talents and abilities, of your fame, of your behavior, of your morality.

You are who God says you are, and he says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. He says all your days were ordained for you and written in his book before one of them came to be. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knows every moment of your life, every dream, every fear, every success, and failure.

 Every person on this earth—whether we have done good things, bad things, evil things, or beautiful things—is valuable to God; so valuable, in fact, that God sent his son on a death mission for us. We are worth Jesus to God. That is how much we mean to him. Maybe you’ve felt overlooked and undervalued for a long time. Maybe you feel lost. Maybe you feel like you’ve missed your chance. Maybe you are rusty and dusty and abused. Please hear me: God still says you are valuable.

From Friend of Sinners by Rich Wilkerson, Jr. Copyright © 2018 Rich Wilkerson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.FriendofSinners.com