Worth it Wednesday #7

I remember learning this story from Beth Moore...and I think I heard her tell it in a teaching video, rather than reading it in one of her books...but either way, it stuck with me. She was telling about a time her daughter was in love with a guy, and if I'm not mistaken, everyone was sure he was the one...and then the relationship ended. Beth told how her daughter was so devastated by the loss that she was in bed for days and Beth and her husband took turns sitting with her, watching movies, and praying her heart would recover.

If I could remember the exact quote, this story would be so much better, but one day Beth asked her husband if he thought things would ever improve for their daughter and he said he was confident they would...that their daughter had the strength of a lion and one day, she would roar again. And sure enough, in a fleeting glimpse, the day came when Beth and Keith heard the tiniest roar from her....the tiniest bit of the daughter they knew...and their hearts were comforted that she would be okay.

Obviously I've done a poor job of relaying the story the way Beth told it {and really, who can tell a Beth story except BETH?} but what I've always remembered from that illustration was that strength begins with a small roar. And it grows from there.

And I'm so excited to say that whether or not you can see this from your vantage point in my life, I've heard a tiny roar. I've seen improvement in my heart. And that makes me unbelievably happy. Still a long way to go in fully grasping worth...but it's there. It's rising up.

And here's how I know.

While perusing my Pinterest boards this week, I ran across this list that I pinned a long time ago:

Source: theaccidentalexecutive.tumblr.com via Rebekah on Pinterest

I glanced at it and my heart surged...because I could answer the first six suggestions positively. Obviously this is a generic list that doesn't center on the Lord, but I've modified some of the measuring sticks to better fit my own life. And here's what I've observed:

1. Know Yourself. The last seven weeks of walking this road with you have pushed me to get to know...me. To do a full examination of my heart and mind, to uncover, discover, sometimes rediscover what God has created me to love and why.

2. Understand What Makes You Feel Great. Right after my trip to Cincinnati earlier this month, I marched right in to the salon and said, "Chop it off." I'd been growing my hair to try to look younger and because every guy loves long hair, right? I think Ryan loves whatever hair doesn't make me stand in the bathroom every morning shouting "I HATE MY HAIR!" What made me feel great about myself was a haircut I could manage in under an hour...and the old one wasn't cutting it. So I cut it. Same thing has happened with some of my clothes lately. If it doesn't make me feel great, I don't wear it.

3. Recognize Things that Get You Down. And I would add to that...change them. I recognized that my eating and exercising patterns were getting me down, making me frustrated, and not helping me feel better about myself. So I changed them. And since I've changed those habits, I've felt much better physically and in turn, felt much better about myself.

4. Set Goals to Achieve What You Want. Well, for me, the modified version is setting goals to achieve what I feel God calling me to do. I've been a longtime fan of goal setting, and I do love doing it.

5. Develop Trusting Friendships that Make You Feel Good. Of course there are friendships that challenge you and push you - and those are good too. I appreciate my friends that aren't afraid to give me a gentle kick in the seat of the pants, but I also have had some friendships that were just...toxic. People whose words and decisions pull me down. And I've begun to learn that you can be kind and loving toward those people, without inviting them into your inner circle of life...and it's okay to hold them at bay. I've been so fortunate to have so many relationships that have lasted years and years - and even though I don't get to see or talk to those friends as often anymore, they're still great influences, and I treasure the times I do get with them. And I'm blessed to get to make new friends along the way, too. I used to feel a sense of obligation to keep all friends in an intimate circle of knowledge, but I've been learning it's okay to let the unhealthy ones sit back a bit.

6. Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help. I balked at this for years...mostly because I believed I wasn't worth bothering other people. Being married to Ryan has been a huge source of God-ordained healing in my heart in this area, because he's made it safe for me to ask for help. And when he reaches out and helps me, he builds confidence in me that I'm worth helping and it's okay to admit my need.

As for the rest...well...those need some work. But I hear the tiny roar of being over halfway through a list upon which, I used to scored a 0%. God is working and moving! And I love it.

And for you, my worthy-of-love friend, how are you doing? Do you know you're worth these things? Do you know the strength is in you and if you listen closely...you might hear a tiny roar?