In the book Coral by Sara Ella, there is a girl named Brooke. Once, Brooke’s friend told her to write down all the hurtful words she let define her onto a little paper heart.  Instead, she leaves the heart blank. Empty. Because she thinks she’s nothing. 

If I handed you a piece of paper and told you to write all the things you think you are, what would you write? Perhaps you’d write “worthless”, or “not enough”, or maybe … maybe you’d leave it blank, just like Brooke. Because you’ve tried so hard to get this life right, and stop messing up, and make yourself something “worth” loving… But you can’t. And you just feel so empty.  

I know what it’s like, dear Rose. The darkness tells you that you are nothing. That you don’t matter, and you’re worthless. You feel like a shadow, drifting in the background, unnoticed and unloved.

In Coral, that girl’s friend picks up that crinkled blank heart, looks her in the eye, and says, “you are not nothing.”

And Dear Rose, neither are you.

You. Are. Not. Nothing.

And here are four truths to prove it:

God Created You.

I was scrolling Pinterest and I saw a quote that stuck with me. Imagine painting a picture. You’re so proud, because you worked hours on it and put so much thought towards its wellbeing. It makes you smile every time you look at it. Then you give it to a friend, and they immediately start picking apart everything “wrong” with it.

We do that to God all the time.

God is our Creator. He molded you, painted your eyes and hair and skin, and breathed life into your lungs. Then He gathered up every little part of your personality and wove it all together to make you … you. And He’s already written every word of your beautiful story. 

But then we glance in the mirror and call ourselves ugly. We wish we were everyone else but the person we are. We think our story is nothing more than a mistake. 

But we aren’t.

You aren’t.

There’s something beautiful and wondrous in the thought that the great Creator, who made the oceans and stars, made you exactly the way you’re meant to be! Beautiful. Precious. One of a kind in the whole Universe. 

Don’t let the world convince you that God made a mistake. Because dear Rose, He didn’t. 

He Deemed You Worth Dying For.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13 KJV). 

Imagine you were a character in your favorite book. The hero of the story was your best friend, despite all the things you did to push him away. 

Imagine, at the very climax, when everything was going wrong, that hero gave his life for you. Not because he owed you, but because he deemed you worth more to him than his own life. 

That’s what Jesus did.

The Son of God left His throne to come to earth, and give His very life … for you. Because He loves you. Because He calls you His friend. Because to Him your life is more precious than His own. 

He Loves You, No Strings Attached.

Many people will only do something for someone else when they know they’ll get something back. But God doesn’t love like that. Jesus’ love is the no-strings attached, just-because, no-matter-what kind of love.

He loves you.

Not because of anything you’ve done, not because of what you look like, not because of your grades, or the number of friends you have. In fact, there is nothing you could do to ever earn His love. But He gives it anyway. 

Rose, don’t you know that? God loves you anyway. 

Enough to forgive you over and over.

Enough to fight for you. 

Enough to die for you.

Enough to call you His. 

You Are His Daughter.

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” – Romans 8:15 KJV

When it all comes down to it, one of the greatest truths of all is this: Your worth is not dependent on anything you do or don’t do; your worth is placed solely on Who Your Heavenly Father Is.

And that He just happens to be the Creator of the Universe, The Great I AM, The Alpha and Omega!

Whenever the darkness tries to whisper that you are Nothing, look it in the eyes and say, “I AM THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING.” 

As long as you know that, Rose, it doesn’t matter how many times you fail, or how hard the darkness tries to drag you down. 

Because you know that you are His. 

That doesn’t mean you’ll never struggle with your worth again, or that the darkness will silence forever. It’s a war. And it may take a lot of battles before you are victorious. But your identity as God’s child is a sword that cannot be shattered, or stolen, or bent. 

~ ~ ~

“You aren’t worth it,” your mind says.

“Your flaws make you less,” the world says.

“It doesn’t matter that you’re here,” the darkness says, “you are nothing.”

But in the stillness, and the silence, and the pain, there is Jesus’s still, small Voice saying, “I love you.”

That Voice gave everything for you. That Voice is fighting for you. That Voice is the light in the darkness, holding out His hand to keep you from drowning in the lies. 

Cling to that Voice, Rose. Trust the name He gives you.