Are you a pebble?

Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles. (Thomas Browne)

Many of us have dealt with or continue to deal with some manner of 'self-worth', feeling somehow that our 'worth' is really not all that great at times. It might be because we have been told that for so long that we just believe what we are told. I was watching a reality show about Alaska 'bush people' yesterday and what caught my attention was the repeated statement a young man made that basically said if a stupid guy like me can learn this stuff, anyone can. Why do you think he kept referring to himself as stupid or dumb? It is probably because somewhere down the line, he has heard it repeatedly and come to believe it as truth about himself. The 'worth' we have is really never determined by human opinion - it is a God determined fact!

But God’s mercy is great, and he loved us very much. Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God’s grace. And he raised us up with Christ and gave us a seat with him in the heavens. He did this for those in Christ Jesus so that for all future time he could show the very great riches of his grace by being kind to us in Christ Jesus. I mean that you have been saved by grace through believing. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. It was not the result of your own efforts, so you cannot brag about it. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing. (Ephesians 4:4-10)

I believe many have been overlooked throughout their lifetimes as 'worthless pebbles' - no one really seeing the beauty of the diamond just beneath the surface in their lives. Today, may God begin to reveal to you the intensity of the beauty he sees in you. We have been given new life in Christ Jesus - our worth has been declared as superior to all created things. Nothing pleases God more than for one of his children to rise up in full display of his goodness, grace, and strength. We may want to belief we are 'worthless', but God sees diamonds within those pebbles!

We should never allow another individual determine our worth. We each are uniquely made by the Creator and as such, we are a thing of beauty. Yes, we may be a little 'rough around the edges', but trust me on this one, when we follow Jesus long enough, those edges begin to be refined by his continual touch, until one day all anyone sees is a diamond. Just sayin!