Social media. Celebrities. Influencers. Popular artists. Youtube stars. There is no shortage of voices vying for the attention of young ladies today. Voices that tell them what they should wear, what they should buy, how they should act, what to believe, and where their value comes from. Voices that are just a few smartphone taps away at any moment. However, during that time in their lives when young people are figuring out who they are, there is only one voice from which they will receive life-changing truth. The voice of their Creator. Together, let’s explore some of the popular yet false indicators of our worth. Then we’ll look at what God has to say.
FALSE INDICATORS OF WORTH
When I was growing up, all the cool kids had the same things. The jackets with that popular brand’s logo emblazoned upon it. The high-dollar backpacks and purses. The latest incredible game consoles. The perfect jean size. As someone who had none of those things, it often made me feel out of the loop. Maybe if I had the cute, logo-covered handbag, too, the other kids I admired would notice me and my value.
Fast forward a couple of decades. Young girls now still feel pressured to do and say various things in order to feel valued, important, and loved by their peers. However, this time, there are some new indicators of their worth according to our culture. Certainly, there’s still the push for expensive accessories. But now, what seems to be sought after most is likes, comments, and shares on their latest social media post. They are either praised for how well, or teased for how horribly they emulate a viral tiktok video. In this digital world, it’s far too easy for young ladies, as well as adults, to confuse their online following and engagement for their inherent worth.
Writer Alisha Illian perfectly addresses our value on Instagram:
FINDING OUR WORTH IN JESUS
Both the online and the real world jump at any opportunity to tell you what determines our importance. But the only one qualified to determine our worth is the One who created us. He formed us in our mothers’ womb and wonderfully made you, me, and our little girls (Psalm 139).
So what exactly does He say about us? The book of Ephesians gives us some incredible descriptions of those who follow Jesus:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.
Did you notice all those things God calls His children? In addition to being loved enough that He would give His very life for us (John 3:16), He gives so many beautiful labels that His daughters can wear with confidence:
- Blessed
- Chosen
- Holy
- Blameless
- Adopted
- Redeemed
- Forgiven
- Lavished in Grace
Little sister and big sister, your worth is not in what you own, how many reactions you have online, or how people treat you or speak to you. Your worth comes from the promises and identity found in God’s word.
Own it. Celebrate it.
