You have great worth

On a drive through the New England countryside, a minister and his wife stopped at a cozy roadside restaurant for dinner. Darkness fell as they walked inside the eatery. The hostess seated them in a booth by the large, stone fireplace. And sitting across from one another, they settled back into the soft, cushiony, burgundy seats.

The waiter soon greeted them and, after having had a long day, the minister first asked for two cups of steaming, hot coffee. As they were getting ready to order their meal, they noticed a welldressed, older man sitting at a nearby table. The minister and his wife made eye contact with him and smiled.

After the waiter took their order, within minutes, the older man began to make small-talk with the couple. He had a carefree, friendly, easy way about him.

Since the man was seated alone, the minister and his wife asked him to pull up a chair and join them. Appreciative, the older man extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you both,” he said, shaking each of their hands, grinning.

As he sat down, the man questioned, “What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a minister,” he answered. “Well then,” the older man said, “I have a story to tell you.”

The minister and his wife were intrigued, for the older man spoke in a whisper, “I never knew my father; and when I was a young boy and started school, the kids in my class made fun of me and called me bad names.” He wiped his hands on a napkin and continued, “I stayed alone most of the time because of the scoffing and relentless insults from my classmates. All that time, the magnitude of those cruel words hurt, and they replayed over in my mind.”

For years, the boy felt undervalued and worthless. Have you ever allowed someone’s negative opinions or derogatory comments toward you to keep you down and discouraged?

Sympathetic to the man, the minister and his wife nodded compassionately. And for a moment, the minister rested his hand on the man’s shoulder. Yet, the older man didn’t waste a minute and carried on. “When I became a teenager, a new pastor came to our church,” the man recalled. “One Sunday, after the services, the pastor approached me and questioned, ‘Who are you, son?’ and then he asked, ‘Whose boy are you?’ I didn’t know what to say to the pastor, and I could feel the tears begin to well up in my eyes.”

“However, the pastor looked at me, and he kindly said, ‘I know who you are. You’re a son of God.’ Hearing that ‘God was my Father’ made me forget all about my feelings of worthlessness and changed the course of my future,” the man uttered.

The couple marveled over what they had heard, and were pleased that they had invited the older man to sit with them. Subsequently, they ate their meal, said their warm good-byes to the man ,and the minister and his wife left the restaurant with the man’s story lingering in their minds.

You could be in a situation right now that has caused you to devalue yourself. Yet, you belong to God. Do you realize your true value? Stop for a moment and consider this: You have been handselected by God. Our allpowerful, all-wise, all-loving God chose you. He is your Father. God loves you with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3), and thinks, “You are special ... just the way you are.” God loves you for all eternity, and promises, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

So, remember who you are. You’re God’s masterpiece, formed in love and created from His artistic hand. You are His treasure, fearfully and wonderfully made, and one of a kind. Thus, never underrate your great worth. Or count yourself out. Put a stop to the guilt or regrets. And don’t allow what someone said to you, a mistake, or the pains of the past cause you to lose sight of the joys and successes to come. God has a new plan for your life. He is going to do mighty things for you. So, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; listen for His voice in everything that you do, He will keep your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3: 5,6)

Keep in mind, God doesn’t look for people with just the best credentials. He looks for those who are willing to serve Him. In the Bible, it tells how God chose David, a faithful shepherd boy, to become the leader of His people. God could have chosen someone more important, more educated or with a better background. David was the most unlikely choice. But God looks at the heart.

Therefore, have confidence in the incredible, talented and giving person that God created. Don’t despair. God is preparing for you an even greater purpose and in time it will be revealed.

Awhile back, I heard in a news report that off the shores of Europe, miles under the sea, a group of treasure hunters discovered bars of silver. As they plunged into the ocean’s depths, they found 110 tons of valuable silver bars. In fact, there were tens of millions of dollars’ worth. For years, the precious metal was hidden. It remained concealed until someone located it and brought it to the surface.

It may be that there are some of you who are reading this column today who are need of someone to speak encouraging words into their life. And as the treasure hunters brought the bars of silver up to the surface, allow me to bring your great worth to light:

Let me remind you that, “You were born to make a difference,” “You’re a blessing to others,” “You are courageous,” “There is a joyful, miraculous life in front of you,” “You’re going to do great things,” “You’re gifted,” “You are going to excel in your career,” “You are going to get well,” “Your time of success is fast approaching” and “Your future is bright.”

Then each day, visualize yourself, “Strong,” “healthy,” “capable,” “prevailing over challenges” and “achieving your goals.” See yourself through God’s eyes. Be proud of who you are: the son or daughter of God. For your Father is setting into motion a wonderful new sequence of events in your life. And soon, you will receive amazing blessings straight from your Father’s Hand to you.

Email Catherine GalassoVigorito at cgv@anewyouworldwide.com. To order a copy of her new book, “The Open Window, 8 Weeks to Creating an Extraordinary Life,” visit www.anewyouworldwide.com or bookstores nationwide. Like me on Facebook! Follow Catherine on Instagram @Catherinegalassovigorito.