by Gillian Sapp, MSW, LSW
How do you determine your value? “We are the clay, You are the potter. We are all the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8, NIV). Being God’s masterpiece is more than enough to answer that question. Isaiah’s message to the Israelites begins with prayers of repentance from their old ways. For example, Isaiah talks about the Israelite’s righteous acts being “like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6, NIV). This emphasizes that we cannot do anything to earn salvation, but God offers it anyway. What we bring to the table doesn’t contribute to our salvation, which is backward from what we experience on Earth. At the beginning of Isaiah 64, there is a request to God that He would “rend the Heavens” and that “the mountains would tremble before Him” (Isaiah 64:1, NIV). Another way to put this is that even the nature God created answers to Him (see Mark 4, where the wind and the sea obey Jesus). Here, Isaiah seems to be communicating that with God as our creator, we should also accept Him as our savior, which is all we have to do to be a part of God’s family. Isaiah ends with the hope of a new creation and that we would see God’s kingdom come to Earth. All of this highlights that with God as our creator, He is worth giving our life to.
In the therapy room, there is a constant conversation about what makes people worthy or valuable. Some attribute this to their marital status, the money in their savings account, or the University they attended. If God truly is “the potter,” this insinuates that He is responsible for our worthiness. If an artist puts their work on display, they most likely think it is beautiful enough to be seen, just as it is. This is the freedom that a relationship with God brings us; our worthiness is not about what we can bring to the table but what God has already done for us.
How do we practically live this out? It can be hard when we live in a world requiring us to work hard and earn our place. With this in mind, knowing what brings us value can get confusing. We earn promotions, get praise for doing well, and feel safe when we reach our savings goals. It can be hard to deny these things; they aren’t inherently bad. To communicate to others that God is our creator, which is the most significant part about us, we must live differently than the rest of the world. Here are some action steps:
- When asking someone about themselves, try not to start by asking about their job (status question); instead, try to ask, “What is something that means a lot to you?”
- Budget for giving/ hosting people instead of giving “leftover money.” This will challenge you to not put too much value in your income or job.
- Resist posting about volunteer work or showcasing your accomplishments. Of course, you can be proud of yourself, but this will help you work to seek internal validation that comes from God.