The Love Everybody WantsExemplo

“Pick Me”

We won’t ever feel enough based on external standards. If we try to be, we will constantly be living off the highs and lows of other people’s acceptance or our own performance, predicating our worth and value on external, uncontrollable, inconsistent factors.

I reached a point where I longed for something steadier, more constant. I longed for my confidence and view of myself to be unwavering, no matter what was going on around me. I needed a new measuring stick, because the one I had been using left me feeling worthless and unlovable.

I realized what was most important about myself was what God thought about me. So, I began reminding myself of what God says about Madi. And I encourage you to do the same.

What do today’s Scripture passages tell me about myself? God says I am wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). God says I am worthy (Luke 12:6–7). God says I am loved (1 John 4:19). God says I am His special possession (1 Peter 2:9).

It may not come naturally at first, but replacing lies with truth over time rebuilds our brains and rewires our hearts to stop relying on the world to find the love everybody wants. We already have that within ourselves—if we’re willing to do the work to build that relationship within.

When we learn to view ourselves the way that God views us, we don’t long for acceptance and belonging, we love from acceptance and belonging. And when we learn to love who we are in Christ, we experience true contentment, freedom, and confidence.

This means those mistakes you’ve made, the things that have happened to you, the experiences of being rejected, the times someone walked out on you, the moments of watching everyone else be happy, and the seasons of heartbreak that left you to question, “Am I enough? Am I hard to love?", don’t define you. They cannot hold you back from who you’re becoming and where you’re going.

With Christ, we are loved, chosen, and full of purpose. And we can say with confidence, “Because of Jesus, I am enough.”

Reflect: What lie about yourself have you been believing?

Challenge: Take out a piece of paper, write on the left side the lies you believe about yourself. On the right side, write down biblical truths that combat those lies. Then, speak that truth out loud over yourself (for example, Lie: I am unlovable; Truth: I am loved (John 3:16)). It will feel weird, but it is empowering.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see myself the way that you see me. I renounce all lies this world or the enemy has put on me and I choose to believe Your Words of who I am. I thank you that my identity is in the finished work of Jesus Christ! It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Give me the confidence and assurance of who I am and to be a light for this world. In Jesus’s name, amen.