Tag: i feel worthless

  • Cutting (self-injury)

    You may not realize that 20% of high-school and college students engage in the self-injuring practice of cutting. As this becomes more common, it also affects more marriages.

    Most of us have not purposely cut ourselves, but we have all experienced inner pain, and we have all searched for ways to relieve that pain. Although this is not my usual topic, I am sharing this today with the prayer that it will be helpful—perhaps to you or someone you know. 

    The Cutting that Cures

    God understands this pain
    of cutting.

    He knows this pain
    that cries
    with the voice of a knife.

    He feels this pain too heavy
    for words or tears
    alone
    to carry;
    the flesh must join.

    If only burdens
    would flow
    with blood.
    If only blades
    could strip sorrow
    as well as skin.¹

    This draining of the body
    leeches life from the soul.

    “Imago Dei”²
    is written upon us,
    yet we mar,
    not knowing
    the handwriting of God.

    *

    “Without the shedding of blood,
    there is no remission of sin.”³
    Without having heard,
    we seem to know.
    But we hope only
    for the remission of pain.

    Only God really knows
    how great is the loss and
    how deep is the pain.

    Through the tearing of His own flesh,
    He felt the torment of the whole world.
    With the gushing of His own blood,
    He marked the loss of love.

    He carried the weight of our suffering
    in His own body
    that we would not
    in ours.

    cutting

    Our pain became His pain,
    and His wounds became our healing.
    His brokenness
    bought our wholeness.

    There is, therefore, now
    no cutting
    for those who are in Christ Jesus,
    for there is now
    no condemnation and
    no separation.

    There is no loss
    that He will not accept as His.
    There is no emptiness
    that He cannot turn
    inside out
    into fullness.

    The only cutting
    that will ever put things back together
    was the crushing of Christ on the Cross–
    the tearing of a veil,
    and a new covenant cut.4

    “It is finished.”

    cutting

    With lavish love,
    He engraved our names
    forever
    on His palms.

    The scars of Christ,
    sealed on our souls,
    mark us now
    as His.

    cutting

    © 2016. Tami Myer.

    ————————————————————-

    1 In The Broken Way, Ann Voskamp writes that she cut herself as if “you could drain yourself out of pain” (Zondervan, 2016, page 11).
    2 This is the Latin phrase for “image of God.” Genesis 1:27 says that God created people in His own image.
    *By User:BardFuse (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
    3 From Hebrews 9:22. The Bible teaches that the consequence of our rejection of God (who is Life) is death.
    4 In English, we say that we make a covenant. But in the Hebrew language of Scripture, a covenant is “cut.”

    ———————————————————

    FOR HELP in overcoming cutting, please visit Focus on the Family’s website. Search “cutting,” and you will find a series of helpful articles.

  • Who You Are, & What You’re Worth

    Who You Are, & What You’re Worth

    If you are trying to build up your value, or if you are working to create a satisfying identity, you can lay those heavy burdens down.

    identity

    I listened to my friend recently as she lamented that her sense of identity was unraveling like yarn being pulled from a sweater:

    “I  thought I was doing great. I was getting stuff done and feeling rather talented. But lately, I have been feeling completely incompetent. Maybe even worthless.  I’m overwhelmed with demands that I can’t meet. I can’t even keep my closets organized!”

    We all need reminders of our true identity and worth. If you feel that a messy closet—or a messy life—is messing with your value, here’s some great truth for you:

    Your value is built in.

    You are a masterpiece, bearing the fingerprints and signature of God. You are created in His image to reflect His beauty and strength to others. You are created in His image in order to enjoy Him with true delight and pleasure. 

    Your identity is not found in your good looks or your talents or your personality or your accomplishments.  If you are in covenant with Christ, then you have the most fantastic identity possible:

    “I am His.”

    You belong to Christ as His beloved. You are His.

    identity

    “I am His.”

    “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name; you are Mine!”
    (Isaiah 43:1, HCSB)

    You are deeply desired, passionately pursued, forever cherished.

    “The LORD your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
    He will take great delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with singing.”
    (Zephaniah 3:17, NIV, NLT)

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    You belong to One who knows you—the real you. He knows everything about you; and in the midst of all the knowing, He loves you. He is unfailing in His commitment to you, and He is unwavering in His devotion. He is your intimate friend, your Gentle Shepherd, and your awesomely perfect God.

    “My beloved is mine and I am his.”
    (Song of Songs 2:16, NIV)

    “I am His.”

    All the circumstances of your life are just props for this great Love story. Messy closets, difficult relationships, fussy babies, demanding work assignments, physical challenges, financial pressures—all of these are backdrops for living out the truth that you are His beloved.

    Made in His image, you can reflect Him in your circumstances. Your goal is no longer to control circumstances or to impress people. God has established your value, and He is the One who controls the details of your life for you.

    You can focus on being impressed with Him. He is the One who will make your name great (Genesis 12:2), and He is the One who will share His glory with you (2 Thessalonians 2:14, Romans 8:17).

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    Deeply and perfectly loved by Him, you can walk through this day with the goal of loving Him back, following His guidance. That might mean cleaning a closet. Or it might mean shoving another stray shoe back into that closet and just trying to get the door to close, for now.

    But your value is unchanging: you are priceless.

    And your identity is solid: you are His.


    If you are interested in learning more about who you are and what you’re worth, you will enjoy reading “Beautiful and Beloved,” the first chapter in Devoted: Pressing in to Know Christ More.