Okay…its time for a moment of transparency. Last week, my son, Cole, had a rough stretch of days. He got into some trouble at school….nothing major…and then had a terrible attitude at home. I had to get out the old belt for the first time in a long time it got so bad. After a dose of corporal punishment was administered, he made the statement to me that really got to me. Cole said this,
I don’t matter anyway. I could not even be here on Earth and no one would notice. Give me one good reason why I matter!
I was taken aback by this this statement and realized that he was speaking out of the dislike for the discipline he had just received. However, I also know that what is in the heart comes out in the form of words and that he had thought about this before. I had an opportunity to talk with Cole for a few minutes about this thought and then went and sat down. I began to think, has my son become so devalued in life at the ripe old age of 10 that he is not sure he would even be missed by his own mother and father? This weighed on me. It hurt! The first thing I told Cole was that he does matter and that his mother and I would miss him greatly if he weren’t here.
Then I started thinking, how many other people go through life thinking that this world would just keep on spinning if they weren’t here? This feeling of “I don’t matter” is really a feeling of isolation or loneliness. It also becomes one of the most selfish statements that can be uttered. Selfish? Really? Let me explain…This statement is really based in self-pity. This self-pity is one that is begging for attention and drudges up thoughts of “not being” vs. “being”.
Why do you think people might come to the conclusion that they don’t matter?
Do you think it is a pity-party or cry for attention or is there some other underlying circumstance that could dictate such a low view of self?
I believe that God has a purpose and a plan for each of us. In fact, Scripture tells us this in Jeremiah 1:5 where God speaks to Jeremiah and says,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations
Believe it or not, God has got this world and your life under control. Even though things may not be going your way, He knows where you are. He loves you. He has a plan for you and thought that this specific time in history was the best place for you!
I love what God did in Genesis! Creation! In Genesis 1:27 the Bible tells us,
27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Every day, when you look in the mirror, you are seeing the image of God! He created you in His image! Isn’t that an awesome thought? I mean, sometimes you don’t like to look at yourself in the mirror…but God likes what He sees. Why? Because YOU MATTER!
God Says I’m Valuable
How much are you worth? I’m not talking about money. Your value has nothing to do with your valuables.
How much are you worth?
I once read an article in the Journal of Hospital Practice that calculated how much each of the enzymes and hormones and all the different things in your body are worth. The author added them up and if you are an average size person you are worth six-million, fifteen dollars and forty-four cents ($6,ooo,o15.44) based on your weight. (Some of us are worth more!)
You’re a six-million dollar man or a six-million dollar woman! The article’s author also estimated that, if you calculate the cost of creating each cell in your body, it would be about six thousand trillion dollars.
You are priceless.
Jesus thought this was so important that he took a whole chapter of the Bible to talk about it. In Luke 15 he tells three stories — the lost son, the lost coin, and the lost sheep. It’s the same punch line in each story. Jesus says, “You matter!”
You matter to God. You are valuable. God says you are valuable because he loves you and he has accepted you in Christ. It is time that you realize….
oneguyseyes 