Find your worth in God. We hear that said, but what does that really mean? We often hear this phrase “worth in God” used in a way to say that a person is not seeking validation from other people, but instead is validated by God – their validation comes from what they believe to be obedience to God. It usually means a person is not concerned with what other people think, and only with what God thinks.
Well, I think this is good. We should not seek validation from other people. But there is a difference between validation and value or worth. When I think of validation, I think of authenticity – being real about oneself. I also think about being supported. We all like to feel good about what we’re doing. So, it is important to “good job”, or “I see you”, or “keep going, God’s got you” every now and then. When I think of value on the other hand, I think of price or cost. I also think of what benefit I get from something, like good advice. We can be real and feel validated in something that others do not value.
This issue of value is very important when thinking about roles in a marriage, when the wife is going to transition to full-time homemaking or being a stay-at-home mom. The ability to make money or create wealth has supreme value in our society. So, taking on a role that does not have societal value can be mentally, emotionally and even spiritually difficult, especially when it was never modeled in front of someone, or when criticism is received for what seems like an impractical decision. That’s why it’s so important to remember that our value as people is not based on the values of society. Our value is truly based in God.
“And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness…So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:26-27
Of all the creation, we, both male and female, mankind, are the only ones created in the image of God. Because of that, we have immeasurable, ineradicable, permanent value, not matter how society values us. As husbands and wives, we should recognize that we were both equally made in the image of God, and both given the same charge to “be fruitful, multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1: 28) Our roles may be different, but our value – our worth in God – is equal. And knowing that should give both husband and wife equal validation.
