Enough

Do you remember in elementary school when we would decorate shoeboxes so that on Valentine's Day our classmates would be able to drop in little cards or candies for us?

I do.

I remember loving the day when I would get to give out my Valentine's cards to my classmates and in return they would give one back to me. We were required to make a card for everyone in the class so that no one would ever feel left out. It was the perfect way to love on each other no matter what was going on.

Then comes middle school, junior high and high school. We weren't required to make cards for everyone anymore. You only got a Valentine from your closest friends or your boyfriend/girlfriend. Valentine's Day ended up being a way to measure your worth--an unspoken contest to see who would get the most cards from people.

However, these days, we don't need shoeboxes for that. We have social media. We count the number of likes we get on an Instagram picture; we count the number of retweets, the number of repins, the number of followers we have. Everything boils down to numbers. We base our relationships on numbers and the idea of quid pro quo-- "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". We only give as much as we receive. We like to keep the scales balanced. Our memories are long--thus we know what we are owed and what we owe.

But see, here's the thing:

Real love, it cannot be measured.

In Psalms, it is said: "Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds" (Psalms 3:19). God's love for us is immeasurable. It goes far beyond our comprehension. It stretches into forever, towards eternity future.

His love is one that holds no bars. He gives us everything, to the point of sacrificing His own son. At the cross, the perfect love of the triune God was shown most vividly as the Son bore each of our sins for us. This is unquantifiable, immeasurable love.

Our love for others comes from God. There is a passage in 1 John that I absolutely love and turn to every time that I need encouragement or need to feel loved.

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God...This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us...God is love...We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:7-21)

We cannot truly love apart from Him. Only when we live and abide in His love may we begin to love others.

Which brings me to my next point:

We are enough for God.

We. Are. ENOUGH.

We spend our human lives wanting to be enough for people...for our peers. We want to be skinny enough, pretty enough, tall enough, funny enough, etc. We base our self-worth on being "pretty enough".

Here's the catch:

You are NOT defined by those six letters.

One of my favorite singers, Britt Nicole, says this: "We get so worried about being pretty. Let's be pretty kind. Pretty funny. Pretty smart. Pretty strong."

We need to stop focusing on the idea of being enough for humans and for society and we need to start focusing on realizing that we are enough for God.

He tells us in Song of Solomon: "You are altogether beautiful, my love. There is no flaw in you." (4:7)

God made us in His image. When we hate ourselves, we are ultimately rejecting Him and His creation.

The word pretty is unworthy of everything that you will become. It is unworthy of everything that you are right at this moment.

Darling, you are:

pretty intelligent

pretty creative

pretty freakin' amazing

So, let's stop asking: Am I pretty enough?

Let's proclaim to society that we are MORE than enough. We are the sons and daughters of a King who "made everything beautiful in its time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were made special and with a unique purpose.

My friend Blake posted a new spoken word this week which I think everyone needs to hear. You can find it by clicking HERE.

But, for this Valentine's Day, as society around us keeps tally of love, let us not forget that God's love for us is greater than we can ever imagine. It is more than the stars in the sky. It's immeasurable, steadfast and permanent. God's love for us keeps no record, because in Jesus, our debts have been marked: "paid in full".

In His Love.

Priceless

I know... It's been a while since I have posted and I am sorry. I've had a lot of things on my plate for the past few weeks and I had to push my blog to the side so I could get those things completed. During these past weeks, though, I've been feeling a little down. I'm have good grades, a great job, great friends, etc. So, why is it that I've been going to sleep at night feeling a little empty and drained (emotionally, physically, spiritually)?

I really didn't know what was going on with me. I mean, yes, I've had a little bit of drama and confusion going on in my life. I have a friend who I am helping through depression and I have a friend, who, all of a sudden, just stopped speaking to me. (I mean, we go from talking every single day to barely speaking at all if any.) It hurts. I know that when helping others through depression, I have to be careful and keep myself happy and healthy. And I have been doing just that. So, I couldn't place a finger on the problem that I was having....

Until this morning...

This morning started as any other. I woke up, took a quick shower and then got back in bed to study a little and relax. It was a Saturday, after all. I was laying in my bed, looking through some notes for my Animal Science class when I got a text from my mom. I thought it was a little weird because it is a Saturday and it was about 9 o'clock in the morning where she is. Well, of course, I opened the text, not really expecting much. What I got, left me speechless and with tears in my eyes.

Because this text was personal and between me and my mom, I won't share it word for word, but I will say that I was finally able to figure out what was going on with me.

You see, for the past few weeks, I was, in lack of better words, putting a price on myself. I was walking around my campus proclaiming that I was to be bought at a price and that you had to prove that you could "buy me", per say. I was degrading myself and others around me. I wasn't being the person that God wants me to be. I wasn't being me.

I was allowing these other people define who I was. That guy who kind of broke my heart? He told me that I wasn't worth the time. The girl who snickered at me in class? She told me that I was a loser. Those students who stared and gossiped as I curled up in a chair by myself with a thick book? They told me that I was a loner and a nerd.

I listened to them. I listened and took it all in until I was believing those things myself. I was beginning to get self conscious as I walked around campus with my books and my geeky clothes and my weird music. I was letting people (some of them who I didn't even know) determine who I was.

And now? Now, I am done with being that girl that everybody thinks I am. I just want to be me; to be the me that God made with His own hands. And you know who that is?

GEEKY.

SMART.

BEAUTIFUL.

CONFIDENT.

COMPASSIONATE

CARING.

OPTIMISTIC.

HARD WORKING.

SENSITIVE.

IMPERFECT.

BRAVE.

IMPORTANT.

PRICELESS.

I. AM. PRICELESS.

I have a value...but, here's the catch: my value is greater than that of the entire world's. God sees me as a treasure. He says, "That is a precious piece and I am willing to pay ANY AMOUNT to acquire it!" How amazing is that? The creator of the Earth said that about me! And He says that about each and every one of you!

I know, now, that it is so important to recognize the value that God gives us. We should never forget it.

After reading that text from my mom, I was so overwhelmed by the love flowing from the Father. I began reading through my Bible and journal, looking at the words Christ has spoken to and through me. Peace immediately began settling through me and I began feeling so much better. I felt stronger, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

So, my words to you are: Don't forget what you are worth. Your Father in Heaven created you with a purpose and He knows exactly what He's doing. He sees you as a priceless treasure and that is how you should see yourself as well. Don't let others determine who you are in life.

This song came over my playlist today and I feel that it perfectly with what I was feeling. The song is "Gold" by Britt Nicole. I love her so much and all of her songs can always make me instantly feel better. If you click here, you can watch the music video. These lyrics speak so much truth, though. You are worth much more than gold. Don't let others decide who you are. BE YOU.

"Gold"

Britt Nicole

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, oh, oh, oh

You were walking on the moon, now you're feeling low

What they said wasn't true, you're beautiful

Sticks and stones break your bones, I know what you're feeling

Words like those won't steal your glow, you're one in a million

This, this is for all the girls, boys all over the world

Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold

So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine

From the inside out it shows, you're worth more than gold

(Gold gold, you're gold)

You're worth more than gold

(Gold gold, you're gold)

Well everybody keeps score, afraid you're gonna lose

Just ignore they don't know the real you

All the rain in the sky can't put out your fire

Of all the stars out tonight, you shine brighter

This, this is for all the girls, boys all over the world

Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold

So hold your head up high, it's your time to shine

From the inside out it shows, you're worth more than gold

(Gold gold, you're gold)

You're worth more than gold

(Gold gold, you're gold)

So don't let anybody tell you that you're not loved

And don't let anybody tell you that you're not enough

Yeah there are days that we all feel like we're messed up

But the truth is that we're all diamonds in the rough

So don't be ashamed to wear your crown

You're a king you're a queen inside and out

You glow like the moon, you shine like the stars

This is for you, wherever you are

Oh, oh, yeah, yeah, oh, oh,

You're gold

This, this is for all the girls, boys all over the world

Whatever you've been told, you're worth more than gold

(So hold your head) So hold your head up high,

It's your time to shine

From the inside out it shows, you're worth more than gold

(gold gold, you're gold)

You're worth more than gold

(gold gold you're gold)

So don't be ashamed to wear your crown

You're a king you're a queen inside and out