If You Are Reading This, You Are Worthy

You are worthy.

At the crux of the Christian faith is belief that God has a love for each one of us. Regardless of our past, regardless of our present circumstances, regardless even if we actively reject him… he loves us and wants us. We are worthy to him. That’s the gospel, the “good news” that people are given the choice to believe.

Sometimes believing that is truly hard.

To the non-believer, imagining this God of love may seem absurd. How can they be loved by someone they do not know? What is the nature of this love? We don’t have any human comparison to put this into perspective. Even to a believer, one can believe cognitively but not feel loved. What does it mean to experience and live into a reality of being worthy, to others and to God?

I’ve been thinking of the idea of “worthy” in two human arenas: work and romantic relationships.

The concept of “worthiness’“ is buried within our concept of work. I would be shocked if someone told me that they’ve never wondered about any of the following questions.

• Am I able to contribute meaningfully and significantly to my project or work?

• Do I feel like I matter in my workplace?

• What career path should I take to be fulfilled?

• Am I being overpaid or underpaid?

• Am I doing my current job well enough?

Underneath all of these questions is the theme of worthiness. Am I worth something to my company? Do they see value in me and my work? Am I able to contribute to something bigger, to achieve something, to fill this longing to be known or recognized or remembered? Am I good enough?

The same can be said for romantic relationships:

• My partner says they care for and love me, but do they really?

• Am I good enough for my partner?

• Will they still value me even after they discover my flaws?

Humans, I think, are designed to want to feel worthy. We want to feel like we matter in the universe. We want to feel connected to other people, to be accepted. We want to build things and create things of worth. We have an engrained desire for it.

When we follow this trail of needing to feel worthy, where does this lead us?