When we are passed by for a promotion at work or when a close friend does not reply to our text, sometimes we may feel like we have taken a blow.  Maybe we begin to wonder what is wrong with us.  Where do we fall short when it seems like everyone is prettier, more popular, and more successful?  Thoughts such as these tend to pile up, especially if we take several of these blows in a relatively short time.  This can lead to feelings of depression and the awful conclusion that "I'm just no good."

Henri J.M. Nouwen addressed this in his book “The Life of the Beloved.”   He sometimes said to himself; I am nothing special, just one person among millions of others; my needs are not more special than anyone else's. There are times when we may feel worthless. These may come from various sources, whether perceived slights or our parents telling us this. These words are LIES. 

Nouwen suggests that when we feel worthless, we say to ourselves, "These feelings, strong as they may be, are not telling me the truth about myself.  Even though I cannot feel it right now, I am a chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity, and held safe in an everlasting embrace."

 If the Creator of the universe and everything in it thinks that you are a special person and loves you deeply, how much does it matter what the world thinks?  Spend some time with this thought the next time you feel worthless.

by Richard Halliburton