God doesn’t want us to think too much of ourselves — but He never intended for us to think too little of ourselves, either. When you and I accept His love for us as individual people who were made in His image, then we can start to view ourselves in a correct perspective as valuable to and for Him. And when we allow Him to love us and we respond by loving Him back, we’re better able to love the people around us.

Let’s be honest: it feels good to have other people notice what we do. But where man’s affirmation is temporary and fleeting, God’s validation is eternal and everlasting. Instead of finding our value through the world’s eyes, let’s rest in the knowledge of the immeasurable value God’s given us through His Son.

Scripture tells us that God loves us because of who we are — His children, precious in His sight — not because of what we do. Once we can accept that He loves us unconditionally and wholeheartedly, everything changes. We stop focusing on doing in order to define our being, and suddenly, our very being determines our doing.

The story of Samson is an amazing example that no matter how much we mess up our lives, God still has a purpose for us. We’re all “cracked” from things in our past, but that doesn’t stop the Lord from picking us up and using us to hit a home run!

The world tells us that our value comes from being noticed and appreciated by other people. But true value lies in the knowledge that God loves us enough to redeem and sanctify us through Jesus. And when we find our worth in Christ, we can’t help but pour out our appreciation to Him — and help others find the same God-given value.