Too many of us let external circumstances determine how we feel about ourselves. If we look to approval from others, or compare our situation to that of someone else, we will inevitably be disappointed. In this section on recognizing your self-worth, we have compiled resources to encourage you to see yourself as God sees you. We pray that the next time you are burdened by low self-esteem, you will look in the mirror and see a reflection of God’s infinite love for you—your God-worth!

Where does your self-worth come from? Does it come from the number of “likes” on your Instagram posts? Does it come from what you see when you look in the mirror? Does it come from your job, your family, or what kind of home you live in? Does it depend on how other people feel about you?

Too many of us let external circumstances determine how we feel about ourselves. “If only I were richer, thinner, prettier, smarter, more popular, _________________ (fill in the blank), then I would feel good about myself.”

When we look to approval from others, or compare our situation to that of someone else, we are inevitably be disappointed. But God longs for us to recognize our self-worth and see ourselves as He sees us. And we find that by looking into His Word. 

Here are a few reminders of how precious you are to Him:

1. You are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27). You are His image-bearer. Or, as the old Amy Grant song reminds us, you’ve got your Father’s eyes.
2. You are fearfully and wonderfully made: “Your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Ps. 139:14).
3. You are of great value to God: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29-31).
4. You are a precious child of God (John 1:12), an heir of the King (Gal. 4:7). You can call Him Daddy! “You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father’” (Rom. 8:15b, NLT) (According to Easton’s Bible Dictionary, “Abba” is a term “expressing warm affection and filial [befitting a son or daughter] confidence.)
5. You are more than your past. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Cor. 5:17)
6. You are uniquely gifted (1 Cor. 12:14-25). “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well” (Rom. 12:6a).
7. Not only are you a masterfully created work of art, the Master Artist Himself has created you for a purpose. “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:10, NLT).