.png)
Precious friend, do you feel like your worth is tied to the roles you play in life?
At the end of the day, are you trying to find your satisfaction based solely on all the doing you've done?
If you answered "yes" to that question, I'm betting you'd also answer "yes" if I asked if you're overwhelmed and burnt out. We may not want to admit it, because we want to be all the things to all the people in our lives, but there's only one of each of us to go around, and we can't do it all.
Sure we can try, but can you say "exhaustion?"
We're no good to anyone if we're exhausted, not exercising self-care, and not being our authentic selves. When we overidentify with the roles we play and that's the only way we think we can find satisfaction, we are often left running on empty.
It's time to discover and embrace our true worth.
Our worth is inherent. It's a gift freely given to us. We are born with this inherent worth as part of our very essence. It does not change, even though the things we do and the roles we take on in life may change. Our worth was the same before we took on any roles in life, and it remains the same during and after.
Our worth is a light and it is meant to shine as a beacon for those around us. Not because we're moms, wives, daughters, or caregivers. Not because we cook dinner, do the laundry or vacuum the floors. Not because we juggle a career or stay at home (or both). No, our worth is a light simply because we exist. Because we were formed by our loving Creator with gifts and a personality that combine to form the core of who we are. We are not human doings, we are human beings.
And when our doing flows from our being, then we have discovered the sweet spot of our core identity. Our inherent worth. Our true self without all of the layers of false living heaped up on us both by the world, and quite often, by ourselves.
We all struggle with this to a degree. It's not like we don't have the best of intentions. But when we get it turned around and we're just doing all the things without considering whether or not they're actually a true reflection of our being, we get burnt out. We get lost, stuck, or wander aimlessly.
So how do we combat the false narrative playing in our heads? I'm glad you asked, precious friend, because we're going to take a deeper dive at four steps over the next four weeks that will help us discover and embrace our true worth.
Step One: Embrace your true worth by discovering your spiritual gifts.
If you've never learned your spiritual gifts, I encourage you to do so now. If you've explored your spiritual gifts before, take the time to revisit them in light of how you've been (or not been) living from them.
This was a deeply healing experience for me because some of the very things that turned out to be my spiritual gifts are things I had really wrestled with. For example, I have the gift of faith. This is different from having faith. The gift of faith is basically believing that God will bring something good out of the really hard times.
The actions of others, and of ourselves, can have ripple effects that can lead us off track. It's often hard to see in the moment, but God can still use even those winding and twisty back roads to get us to the destination. It doesn't mean we don't struggle with pain or wrestle with doubts, but that we have a hope-giving gift of faith to get us through until we can see the beauty.
Having the gift of faith has given me hope in some pretty desperate situations. Not everyone can see that hope, and I've even been called naive, as if I couldn't see the train wreck ahead of me. The thing is, to get through the train wreck, I had to stop holding onto expectations and assumptions of what the other side would look like.
Some say faith and fear can't be held together, but I believe that negates the human condition. Having the gift of faith doesn't mean I don't have fear. We're encouraged not to fear throughout the scriptures. God knows we have fear. We're all human. It's when we become paralyzed by that fear that it becomes a problem. Having the gift of faith helps me to see beyond the train wreck to the possibilities for healing, and work through the fear.
That healing can come in part by understanding how you're spiritually gifted. Take the time this week to explore or revisit your spiritual gifts. Below are some resources to get you started. Then, come back here and share your top three gifts and any insight you've gained from this first step to discover and embrace your true worth.
Trust me, you're worth it!
May your doing flow from your being,
Laura
Click for a free PDF of biblical affirmations of your undeniable and inherent worth.
Downloadable/Printable Gifts Assessment:
Online Assessments:
Comments