Your Value is Not Based on Your Achievements.
If anyone knows something about belonging, it’s Bobby Schuller. A third-generation pastor, Schuller knows his place in the world. It is out of that pastoral belonging that he shares this truth: we don’t have to struggle to belong, we already do.
It should come as no surprise that the greatest human need is to bond with God and with others, it is a need to belong. Yet we fall into the trap of “constantly hustling for worthiness.” This hustle is our attempt to find value and worth outside of our being sons and daughters of God. We look for our value in our achievements, in our titles, in our work. When we continue this pattern of attempting to find value in this way, it can lead to us feeling spiritually and emotionally numb.
There is hope, however. We don’t need to be trapped in this self-destructive cycle, we can break it. We do this by learning to share, being vulnerable, and being known by others. This takes us out of the “I will make myself worthy” mindset and puts us into a mindset which allows us to walk humbly, be vulnerable, and have a deep, strong relationship with our community and, most importantly, with God.
Maybe you’re asking yourself, “How do I get to this new mentality?” Prayer is a primary way of bringing about this mentality. Another help, though, is to repeat this simple creed which you can find in Bobby Schuller’s book:
I’m not what I do.
I’m not what I have.
I’m not what people say about me.
I’m the beloved of God.
It’s who I am.
No one can take it from me.
I don’t have to worry.
I don’t have to hurry.
I can trust my friend Jesus and share His love with the world
Remember, you are loved, you are wanted, you are needed, you are forgiven, and you belong.