Recently, I had a really good conversation about self-worth, and this is the conclusion I’ve come to: it is far too easy to lose your self-worth, and far too difficult to get it back.

I truly hope that we all know what it feels like to both believe we have worth and believe other people can see our worth. I hope this, but sadly, it’s likely not true for everyone. It may be pessimistic, but lets face it, this world is just plain mean sometimes. It’s the moments when you can’t seem to get a word in edgewise, or it’s the year your parents, your spouse, or your best friend stopped being interested in your life. It’s when God became silent you feel like you’re still waiting for him to check back in. It’s when you’re not invited or simply not thought of. It hurts. And it sticks with you. In each of these situations, the message is the same—I don’t see your worth. And suddenly, we can’t see our own worth either.

Then someone comes along and says, “Hey, I see your worth” (just like that, too). Do you immediately feel filled with this warmth that says, “You are so right. I’m freakin’ awesome.”? No. You nod and smile and go about your day, not letting that message of worth sink into your core. Why? Because if you let yourself believe you have value again, then it just leaves opportunity for someone to take it away. No thank you.

But this isn’t good and this isn’t what God wants for us. How do we get back our worth and keep it? During my conversation, it was suggested that accepting God’s grace is somehow involved in all of this. Accepting grace without earning it. This can be difficult for us sometimes. We tend to believe that only good things will come to us if we’re being good sons and daughters, so if we’re having a bad week…or year, well then just forget it.

Apparently, that’s not grace at all. So, does grace mean that despite all of my short-comings, I still have value, that I’m worth something, and what I have to say is worth something? I think, yes. But why should other people think I’m worth something? Simply because God does? I think, absolutely.

Hey, people can disagree with the creator of the universe (they do all the time), but they’ll be wrong every time.

This conversation of worth made me think of human trafficking. The industry is built on dehumanizing and devaluing someone as a person, and giving them value as an object. It is so skewed that I cannot imagine what that is like. How is a human soul supposed to come back from that? Through the grace of God is probably the most effective way. When people participate in the industry, they are wrong every time. When consumers demand products at a cost that requires slavery, we are wrong every time. And I think when we forget to plead on behalf of others, we are wrong. I’m not trying to put the burden of the world on our shoulders, but I just want us to remember the worth of others. It’s easy to forget our own worth, so let’s try and prevent others from losing sight of theirs.