You Matter by Angela Woodard

Do you feel worthless and stuck because of your past and what others think of you? Have you ever thought about how you feel about yourself?

Can I tell you something that will blow your mind?

What you think about yourself is not always the whole truth.

It took me 35 years to realize this.

I always felt like an alien from another planet. As a child, sometimes I wondered if I was adopted (I wasn’t, by the way). I always felt different. Since I felt different, I acted different and others treated me like I was different. The bullying and rejection I went through in school built a foundation in me of feeling both unloved and undervalued. I didn’t see a need in standing up for myself or having any boundaries that mattered. This twisted view of myself quickly became an enemy of my destiny.

I was a slave to others’ needs and desires, hoping for a crumb of love from them. I thought I was on the earth to help others meet their goals. Mine didn’t matter.

I was at everyone’s beck and call. When they said, “Jump!” I was that person asking, “How high?” The more I did for them, the more they wanted, the more exhausted I became, the harder I worked for that imaginary goal of love I would never receive.

The only thing that saved my sanity and my life was my love and deep, heartfelt desire to please God. He saw my hand sticking up out of that mud pit and yanked me out. He did pull me out, but I was still filthy and covered in mud. That’s the beauty of God. He takes us exactly how we are—mud and all.

He delights in the journey of cleaning us off. He uses situations in our lives to teach us. All the while, we learn about His character, His goodness, and His love. A little more mud comes off, then a little more, until finally, our eyes are cleaned off and we can look back and see how far He’s brought us.

You matter and what is in you matters.

Even flowers that seem to have no purpose have a purpose in God’s plan. He has a plan and purpose for you. He planned you before you existed! Psalm 139:16 (TPT)

He took His time creating you! Psalm 139:14- 15 (TPT) says,

I thank you, God, for making me so mysteriously complex!

Everything you do is marvelously breathtaking.(This means YOU are breathtaking!)

It simply amazes me to think about it! How thoroughly you know me, Lord! (v.14)

(He knows everything about YOU! He is crazy about YOU! Why else would the Creator of the universe know YOU, inside and out?)

You even formed every bone in my body When you created me in the secret place, carefully, skillfully shaping me from nothing to something. (v.15)

(He stopped and took the time to form and create YOU, ever so carefully!)

It stands to reason, if He took that much care in creating you, then the gifts He put in you are important!

You have dreams. You have a purpose. You have a destiny.

I am so thankful that God, in His mercy and love for me, plucked me up out of that mud pit. It is so important to think about how you think about yourself. Don’t let lies and past experiences dictate your value. In fact, God thinks you are worth dying for. Jesus died for you—for you to be set free (John 3:16).

I challenge you to think about your view of yourself and see if it agrees with what God says in His word. Revisit those dreams you thought were dead or meaningless and ask Him how to step into them. You were created for greatness. God put dreams and desires into everyone.

The harvest is plentiful! (Matthew 9:37-38) I pray God shows you in this harvest season how important and valuable you are to Him for His harvest!

You matter.

Angela Woodard discovered her love of writing while completing her studies in ministry and discipleship, graduating with honors from Liberty University in 2015. Since that time, she’s enjoyed blogging, editing, copywriting, ghostwriting, teaching, and starting a business. Her passion is to tell others about who God is and what He’s done in her life. You can read more of her writings here https://thewarriorsway01.weebly.com/.

Photo by Karen Ruhl

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. ~Job 12:7-10 NKJV

Photo by Karen Ruhl