They stood in line. Vulnerable. Exposed. Out there for all the world to see…or at least all of Times Square. One by one they walked up the stairs. And took that step. Onto the scale. Except, instead of the usual “number of shame” popping up to reveal to them their worth in pounds, words of encouragement displayed instead. Words like: Resolve. Pride. Courage. Confidence.
This was a challenge issued by a large corporation. A challenge to not see yourself as a number on a scale but as a strong, confident woman who can achieve her goals, and on the surface there’s nothing wrong with that….
On the surface.
But.
There is even a better scale to stand upon. This scale won’t always tell you what you want to hear. It wasn’t created to boost your self-esteem. In fact, it often tears down walls of pride and confidence to reveal whom we really are inside.
Stepping on this scale you will see words like: Meekness. Sacrifice. Humility. Longsuffering. Gentleness. Self-Control. Kindness.
The words displayed on this scale can be hard words to swallow, but this scale speaks the greatest truths into our lives. Healing words. God breathed words, not man-made words. This scale is The Word!
How many of us remember singing this simple truth as a child in Sunday School?
“The B-I-B-L-E! Yes that’s the book for me! I STAND upon THE WORD of GOD…the B-I-B-L-E!”
That is what He is asking us to do daily. To stand upon His Word. To let His Word reveal to us what we need to know about ourselves. The self that hides way down deep, the self that is weighed down by sin and pain. Let God be the measurer of your worth. For, He does not measure our worth in numbers (thank goodness!) or even in our ability to “love ourselves better” but in our ability to “love ourselves less.”
The world (and sadly often even the church) has done a great job in selling us on: Being confident in who we are, having pride in our accomplishments, having courage to stand up for ourselves, to stand up for our rights! But the Bible calls us to die to ourselves, die to our pride, to love the Lord with fear and trembling. This stands in direct opposition to the world’s measurement of our worth..the scale on which we often choose to stand.
Do you find yourself weighing your worth by the world’s scale? I challenge you to stand, instead, upon the scale of God’s Holy Word! To find the weight of your worth in the words HE speaks into your life!
I challenge you to “Stand upon the word of God…” and see what the Lord reveals to you. So that someday, you will hear words that carry more weight than anything the world has to offer… “Well done good and faithful (daughter)…well done.”
By: Heather Patterson, At The Picket Fence
Leave a Comment
Kathy says
So true…kind of funny but I just posted yesterday about my “worth in hair” yes, ridiculous I know, but it is crazy what our mind can warp our thinking into.
Have a great weekend.
Heather says
I often tend to find worth in my hair Kathy. I might even be guilty of “hiding” behind it sometimes. The enemy loves to twist our minds into finding our worth in anything but where it truly lies…in our identity in Christ. Headed over to read your post!
Heather
Diana says
What a great post today. It is hard to die to ourselves, isn’t it? Not to amass as many worldly goods as possible. ? I think that is why I am careful in blogland to not get too bogged down into displaying my worldly goods…for they are temporal and fleeting…and I don’t want to get caught up in the “I have this” and “I want that” whirlwind. Thank you for a beautiful post~ xxoo Diana
Heather says
Yes it is Diana, so very hard. Thank you for hoping over here and commenting. You are always so “good” to us girls at the fence!
Tracy says
What beautiful truth! Your words encouraged my heart and put my mind in the “right” place I know pleases and honors God. Our worth is found in Him alone!
GREAT post, Heather! Congrats!!
Suzann says
Wonderful post and sooo true!!!
Dianne @ The Inspired Housewife says
Beautiful post. There are so many ways we weigh our worth in this world, but this is a great reminder about what really matters.
Christy says
What a great devotion! Thank you Heather for sharing.
Vanessa says
Not even weighing my worth by how many blog comments will fill that need will it? Finding my worth in His words, His scale is the only way I can truly have that peace and the confidence in the beauty He sees in me! And having you as my sister, paving the way for me all of these years, counseling…(in)couraging :-)…supporting…speaking truth…that has been an earthly means by which to better understand my eternal worth.
Love your sister,
Vanessa
Carol says
Heather,
Thanks, sweetie, for letting us, once again, see the goodness of your heart!
Mom
Debbie says
Heather,
Thanks for the encouraging words, I am glad I found your website! Looking forward to keeping in touch!
Debbie
Stacey says
Singing my Sunday School Song right with you! Oh how blessed are we that we have the B-I-B-L-E to stand on! Where would we be without it?
Thanks Heather!
Debbie says
Excellent, Heather.
I love how you took that image of the women on the scale (I had seen that somewhere too) and let it speak a better and clearer message through you. You have the gift of insight! I want to be measured according to His Word. I would rather be convicted to seek truth than vain glory and false encouragement.
Teri @ StumblingAroundInTheLight says
Such an eye-opening concept. I spent far too many years of my life, wasting away energy and love and purpose, because I thought my identity was measured by the number on a scale. I’m still daily learning to trust who God made me to be, as I ‘stand upon the Word of God’…
Blessings –
Teri
Cherie Winship says
Beautifully Spoken Heather!! Everything……..Nothing Kinda Gals!
Philippians 3 12-13 MSG
I do not mean to say that I have got there yet, or that I am perfect yet. But I am trying hard to get there because that is why Christ saved me.
My Sisters I do not yet think that I have all the things of Christ. But there is one thing that I am doing. I forget what is behind me and reach out to what is ahead of me. (Jesus!n My Love! My Life!)
Cherie`
Aimee says
This is just what I needed to hear. I’ve been looking at myself the wrong way. I’ve been feeling nudges to not do that, but to instead see what God says about me and how I should see myself through HIS lenses, not mine or the world’s.
BTW, I, too, found my worth in my hair. I was “the girl with long, pretty hair” most of my life (with “help” from family telling me I was never allowed to cut it). But then I went to college, and dyed it, then I cut it all off. 🙂 It was freeing!
Jill says
Heather, your words in this post so greatly touched my heart. Thank you!!! What a powerful message and a great reminder to us all! And just as you sang a Sunday School song, when I was reading about “standing” on God’s Word, the song kept playing in my head…”On Christ the solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all over ground is sinking sand.” :0) So true! Thank you, Heather, and praise You, Father!
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