(Please read Part 1 of 3: “The Mirage” before this one)

Part 2 of 3: The Truth

When I say “self worth” is under attack like never before what do I even mean? I mean that Satan is ruthlessly and relentless trying to alter the way you feel about yourself and how you view yourself to ultimately steer what you believe about yourself in your heart. He is trying to slow you down, push you down, and keep you down because this can alter your inner relationship with who you really are, and who you think you are. This will change how you think, act, speak, serve, and the very life you live.

Is Satan being successful? Well… Unfortunately, yes he is, especially with our youth.

How many of us, or our youth at one point or another, or even this very second have felt or feel that we aren’t good enough. That we don’t measure or stack up. That we’re aren’t pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, or good enough in some way, or even any way? How many of feel that we’re too short, to tall, to thin, or not thin enough? How many of us feel like everyone else has it all figured out or that they are more spiritual, more gifted, more talented, or a better parent or spouse, or more deserving of love than we are? How many of us have felt that we aren’t worth much… or even worth anything at all? How many of us have felt, or do feel, like we don’t even matter?

Let me tell you something… I have been there, I know what that feels like. I know what it feels like to think that for years on end. I know what it feels like to feel that so often that you start to not only believe it, but also accept it. I know what it feels like to be scared to tell anyone because you fear they would know your weaknesses and faults, and wouldn’t like, love or even accept you because of them. I know what it feels like to think that isolation is safer, when in reality it’s not. I know exactly what it feels like to be incapable of accepting or feeling love for yourself, and also what it feels like to refuse love because you don’t feel like you deserve or are even worth it… not only from others but from, and especially from God. I know what it feels like to gather 100% of self worth from my own perception of how I thought others thought of me… when the kicker is I gathered that perception through the adversary’s eyes which skewed the truth! In a nutshell, I realized looking back now… I took the adversaries smear campaign of myself to myself hook line and sinker!

Now, let me tell you something else I learned that took me about a decade to figure out… That way of thinking and looking at life wrong. It’s untrue. In fact, it’s more than that, it’s complete and total bull crap. Why? Because it comes from Satan, and because it comes from him, it’s completely, totally, unarguably, undeniably, and inevitably false. In fact, it’s beyond simply “false”… it’s the exact opposite of the truth!

When you are told or feel that you are weak… it’s because you’re STRONG!

When you are told or feel that you are worthless… it’s because you’re PRICELESS!

When you are told or feel that you are defective… it’s because you’re UNIQUE & PERFECT!

When you are told or feel that you are not needed… It’s because you’re CRUCIAL!

If you feel like you can’t or won’t measure up… it’s because YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!

If you don’t feel you are worth much or anything at all, I want you to realize something. God himself sent his Son Jesus Christ to earth to not only provide the perfect example of how to live for YOU, but to perform the single greatest act this world has ever or will ever see, the atonement… FOR YOU! Christ himself who could have declined at any time, willingly went through humiliation, pain, agony and suffering beyond our mortal and physical comprehension even unto death just to have the opportunity to live with YOU again! YOU in the eyes of God himself and his Son Jesus Christ were and always will be worth it! That is how important, needed, loved and appreciated you are!

What if in the very moments of the most intense fear, agony, doubt, and panic, when Christ himself, even the alpha and omega himself was in doubt and even trembled, bled, and wanted to turn back… what if he thought of you and how much YOU meant to him? What if the mere thought of YOU gave him hope and peace? What if you, YES YOU, are who sustained him in those moments? What if you in the ultimate reversal of roles were who gave your God, even your Redeemer the strength to go on despite the monumental physical and emotional cost!? I wouldn’t doubt that for a second!

The world will try to tell you what matters most is what’s on the outside. The world will focus on the outward appearance and ignore the single most important thing about you… your heart!

Another thing I have learned from my experience is this: When we feel unworthy of love, or appreciation it’s because we refuse to forgive ourselves even though our Savior will or already has. With that in mind, I want to ask you 3 questions, and I want you to truly think about them. Read them a couple times if you need to!

1- Who are you to deny love to who God loves?

2- Who are you to deny forgiveness to one of God’s most prized creations?

3- Who are you to deny happiness and joy to one of God’s greatest and most precious masterpieces… yourself?!

The fact is we all sin. We have all sinned, and will sin again. Yet I fear that we hold ourselves to not only an unreachable, but unrealistic and impossible standard of perfection, and when we don’t achieve it because we sin, we refuse forgiveness to ourselves. This leads to not loving and even hating who and what we are.

What’s strange is often times the hardest person to forgive in this life is not someone else, it’s not your kids, your spouse, or ex-spouse… it’s ourselves.

Sometimes the hardest person to see quality traits in… is ourselves

Sometimes the hardest person to be patient with… is ourselves

And the hardest person to show love for is the person we see in the mirror every day. Ourselves!

I promise you though, if you truly repent and accept the atonement which has already been done for you, the most amazing thing will happen!…

You will feel complete joy! Beyond making you whole! It will make you more confident, happier, and at peace and you will find, feel and keep that joy for others and in life. I know this, because I’ve been there. I know what it feels like to finally accept and feel the love of Christ! It is a feeling beyond description and beyond what words can convey! It is a feeling so engulfing and complete that it’s goes beyond your physical body and beyond description! It literally changes you! It will change the way you think, act, and treat yourself and others! It will change your relationship with yourself and others and God. If you ask me, it’s the single greatest feeling you could ever feel and it comes from something as simple as LOVE. Love… that requires no money or special talent to give or receive yet is worth more than all the money in world!

So, having said all this. The question is why!? Why does the adversary make such an effort to bring you down, and stop you?! Why does he so relentlessly try to hold you down?

I know exactly why…

To be Continued in Part 3: Unleashing Who You Are!