Worth

*I shouldn’t have even brought this into the fitting room*, Mandy thought.

*Dresses like these don’t look pretty on girls like me.*

But her friends hadn’t understood her hesitation. They were trying on prom dresses and thought she should do the same.

Tears stung in Mandy’s eyes as she took a glance in the mirror. She hated her size and shape. She wished she looked like her friends.

“Come out and show us,†her friends called.

Mandy swallowed. “It doesn’t fit right. I must have grabbed the wrong size.â€

“What size do you need? I’ll go get it.â€

“No!†Mandy tugged on the zipper at the back of the dress. “I’m done for today.â€

When Mandy stepped out of the fitting room in her T-shirt and leggings, the other girls were all wearing the dresses they had found. They looked perfectly petite and happy.

Mandy slouched onto a chair in the corner of the room, wishing she could be like them.

Maybe your story isn’t exactly like Mandy’s, but it’s close. Maybe you feel ugly. Maybe you think that you are too fat or too thin or that you don’t belong with your friends. Maybe you even feel unworthy of God’s love because of how you look.

But the inherent worth you have and the love God has for you are not based on your appearance or what others think of you.

God created you in His image, and He loves you so much. You are precious to Him. So precious that He came to die and rise again to free you from sin and the pain and death it causes. If you haven’t already, put your trust in Him today, knowing your worth is found not in what people think—but in and through the love of your Creator and Savior. • Bethany Acker

• Jesus died and rose again, and He will one day make all things new, including raising His people from the dead when He returns. Christ died and rose to restore and redeem every part of you. How does knowing these truths help you see how much He values and loves you?

• If you are struggling to see your worth, who is someone you can talk with about it?

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Genesis 1:26-27; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4-7