YOU ARE IMPORTANT

Isaiah 49:16 “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.”

It seems that there is one thing all humans need more than anything else; to know we are loved. Without love, we feel worthless and unimportant and useless. And humans need to feel useful and worthwhile. That is one reason we always tend to compare ourselves with other people. Sometimes we consider ourselves better than them, and sometimes we wish we were as good as they are. We base our level of importance on:

• Our appearance
• Our achievements
• Our being approved by others
• Our wealth or power

Do I look good enough? Have I done enough? What will others think of me? Am I important enough or powerful enough? And every one of these areas is based primarily upon one thing; where we rate ourselves in comparison to other people. We need to be loved; we need to be accepted; and we need to feel self-worth.

The problem with these four standards is that none of them are stable. They will all change depending on moment-to-moment circumstances. Appearances change with time. There will always be somebody who can do more than us and do it better than we can; how well others like you can change in the blink of an eye; and your affluence can change with one bad choice. The trouble with letting things like these dictate your self-worth is that your self-worth will always be changing and you will never know from one moment to the next where you stand.

Our real value is found in God’s perspective of us. Jesus cares for us so much that he said “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to him than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7)

Just imagine; God thinks we are so valuable that he knows the number of hairs on our head. The deepest expression of love is attention. When you give somebody your attention you’re giving them your love. When you don’t pay attention to your husband or wife or kids you are actually being unloving. God is always paying attention to us. It may not seem like it to us because we really are not all that focused on him, but again, He is always focused on us.

When little children do something they want to be noticed for, such as riding a bike with no hands, they will always yell out, “Watch me, Daddy!” “Watch me, Mommy!”

Adults want to be noticed, too. And, just like children, we yell out, but we don’t necessarily do it with words. We act in such a way as to get other people’s attention, or we dress with the goal of capturing other people’s attention. But, what we are really doing is yelling, “Please watch me, somebody!” For our own well being, it is vital that we remember to stop depending on other people to feel worthy, and start depending on God.

God notices everything in your life, his eyes of love are constantly watching you, and he knows your value no matter what anyone else around you is saying about you. He knows the truth, they don’t. God has a plan and purpose for your life. He made you and he wants you no matter what.