Where Does Our Value Come From?

My son is reading me Mad Libs that he and his sister did together. He made me laugh into a coughing fit with my cold. Not nice. Anyway, I've been reading a book I got a long time ago when I was in MOPS. It's given me a whole new perspective on life and what's really important in. The lady who wrote it had me do an "exercise" I've never done before and shall never forget as long as I live. She asked me to stop what I was doing and just think about what it is I like about my children. She was relating this to how God feels about us as His children. I stopped and thought about it and pictured each of my children and what I loved about them. You know what? I didn't picture Jeremiah with some huge golden plaque over his head that read "President Of The Science Club" or him receiving one of his many awards in Cub Scouts. I pictured him smiling and laughing and being his goofy self. I don't love my son because he's a science geek. I love him because he's my child! Although, I do enjoy the science geek thing.

Then, I pictured my daughter Angela. Now surely I like her for what she does, but as I closed my eyes what I pictured is her grinning from ear to ear, showing off her adorable dimples and her laughing and doing silly dances in the living room just for my entertainment. Not her selling cookies in her Girl Scout uniform or kicking some major boodie (are Christians allowed to say that) in the AWANA games or even the big red A+ she got on her spelling test last week (although I'm very proud of that, too. Spelling's her most difficult subject.) But again, I don't love her for what she does. I love her for who she is!

Then, I proceeded to picture Chloe. I don't even know why I needed to. I love Chloe for her positive attitude and her smile and laugh. Not because she's so willing to work on homework so very, very hard even when it's difficult and she doesn't understand so much. She just values the work that she puts into it. Obviously I'm very proud of her work ethic, but that's not why I love her.

So, then, I had to ask myself that if I love my children for who they are and not what they do, why don't I believe God when He says that He loves me even when I fail? Do I tell my daughter when she misses a spelling word that she's a loser and will never amount to anything? No. I tell her it's okay. Just keep trying. You'll get it eventually. And even if she never does, I still love her and want to bless her. Why do I think that God's going to right me off every time I fail? It was only in this moment that I really realized the Truth in what so many people have been trying to tell me for a long time.

My worth... Your worth, no matter who you are, does not come from what you do! It comes from who you are in Christ! If you do not know Christ, let me know (in English please) and I would be happy to introduce you!