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Did You Know You’re Someone Special?
Elfrieda Nikkel
Marjorie grew up with with a sense of worthlessness. Again and again her father said she would never
accomplish anything in life.
He told her she was a loser and that anything she did try
was sure to end in failure.
With these words ringing in her ears she grew up looking
for someone who would love her and see her as a person of worth.
This led her into relationships that were disappointing to
her, ending in pain and devastation with yet another proof that she was
worthless and unlovable.
Maybe you can identify with Marjorie and your story is
much like hers.
Where does our sense of self-worth come from?
It is true that the foundation for a person’s self-worth
is laid in the home.
Words that we hear in our home can build or tear down our
worth as a person.
The Bible speaks of words of life and
death in Proverbs 18:21 where it says, ”Death and life are in the power of
the tongue,…”
As we hear words of affirmation and encouragement, they
are words of life to us while words of criticism and belittling are words of
death.
Other people like teachers, friends, employers and spouses
add to the collection of life-giving or death words in a person’s heart.
Over time a person begins to see themselves in the light
of these words. Is this the final word or is there hope that one can develop a
sense of worth as a person?
If we look in the Scriptures, we see that God never meant
it to be this way. He speaks words of life into the heart of every
person.
We read in Genesis that when God completed the creation of
the world he made man in his likeness or image.
This likeness gave man and later also the woman he made
the capacity to think, to make decisions, to know right from wrong, to be
creative and to have the ability to communicate and have a personal
relationship.
Not only did God put this potential in the heart of man
and woman he also gave them an assignment to use these abilities.
They were told to rule over the things he had created and
give to each a name. Herein lies the potential to organize, care, and to
be in charge.
Although the assignment to be fruitful is linked to
increasing in number it could also indicate creativity in other
areas.
Fruitfulness can also speak of the outcome of our labour,
of putting our God given creativity to work in a job, a home0-based business,
our homes or in areas where God has given us a creative interest which every
person possesses who is created in the image of God.
Fruit speaks of a beautiful outcome of our labors.
One of the most beautiful aspects of the creation of man
is God seeing the need for man to be in a relationship, to have a
companion.
God places this need and capacity into the heart of each
person. Each has the potential to be a friend, a companion, a helper or a person
of influence.
This is what God had in mind when he created you.
He created you in his image so that you could think, make
choices, use your creativity, build relationships, faithfully work at the tasks
in your hand and be a person of influence in the lives of others.
But that’s not all. This was only the
beginning.
In Psalms 139 he says we are “fearfully and wonderfully
made” and describes the creation of each person with words like “knit
together” and “woven together” and “ordaining our days” all of which
require a plan by a great creator.
God had a plan for each of our lives and put together each
person with abilities, personality and potential.
But the greatest evidence of our worth is that he loved us
so much that he sent his son to die for us when we were sinners and totally
unlovable.
We were worth it to him. But there’s more to that as
well.
When we believe that Jesus died for us and we accept his
forgiveness we become his child. A son and daughter of the King of
Kings.
As we live in that relationship with him we begin to
reflect his godly character and we produce the fruit of the Spirit named
in Galatians 5:22-23 as: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The beauty of this fruit in our lives makes each of us a
person of impact and influence.
No matter what “words of death” others have spoken about
you God’s view of you rises above those words and he speaks “words of life”
into your heart today.
He says, “I created you in my image, I gave you
abilities to rule, organize, manage your area of life, I gave you a creativity
that if followed will bring you joy, I made you to be a companion or friend to
someone, to be a person of influence, you are precious to me, I loved you so
much that I gave my son to die for you and now I want you to be my
representative to share this love with others on earth. ”
God made you a person of worth. He decided when he planned your life what abilities
he would give to you.
We all have varying amounts of ability to organize, lead,
create or influence but we have the choice as to what we want to do with that
which God has entrusted to us.
God also gives us opportunities where we can use these
abilities.
The fruitfulness depends on how we care for, cultivate and
use each of these abilities which in turn results in the fruitfulness of
influencing the lives of the people God has placed in our world whether they be
children, spouses, employees, friends or neighbors.
You are special to God and he wants to use you to speak
“words of life” into the lives of those around you.
God Bless you.
Have you ever opened up your heart to God and
asked Him to enable you to become the person He created you to be? If you would like to have a personal relationship with God
through Jesus Christ, you can say this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need You.
Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and
receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving
me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make the kind of person
You want me to be. Amen.
It starts with a simple prayer. But it doesn’t end
there.
If
you prayed this prayer we would love to hear from you. If you would like to
know God deeper we can connect you with an email mentor and/or send you some
great links.
Elfrieda Nikkel left her career in teaching to complete a Masters
Degree in counselling, a ministry which continues to give her much joy and
fulfillment. Her Bible College training along with her experiences
as a wife and mother have given her a heart for women and opened
doors for involvement in women’s ministries, mentoring and speaking at
retreats. Serving in partnership with her husband in international team
evangelism has given her many opportunities to experience ministry in
third world countries. A deep sense of God’s leading prompted her over the
years to write inspirational articles and devotional booklets.https://thoughts-about-god.com/struggles_/elfrieda-nikkel_youre-someone-special
