Value relationships.
Serving people in need certainly does one thing, it opens your eyes to how blessed you truly are. I have always struggled with a certain level of discontentment with my life. Since I didn’t see myself as good enough, nothing else was good enough either. I always seemed to want more, to want change, or just something different. I one day realized that the things and people in my life could never be good enough because I didn’t even see myself as good enough. The fact is our insecurity will always put a weight on the people around us, especially those closest to us. In order to be able to finally set them free to be imperfect and to be the unique people God intended them to be, we have to first let ourselves free. Value yourself, and value the people in your life. Remember, our relationships are our true wealth (even though they may not always seem that way!)

Value what you have.
Think of what you own. Even if it’s not much, imagine life without it. Imagine all the people who would give anything to have half of what you probably take for granted. Be thankful for what God has given you. Take time to write down the things that you are thankful for. Seeing it on paper may help you realize how blessed you are. I know this all sounds so simple, but sometimes we just need to be reminded of how blessed we really are.

Value today.
Think about it: God gave you a lifetime. Every day you wake up to a new day, that’s because God gave you another day – for a reason. We never know what day will be our last, so learn to place worthy value on today. Today you have purpose. Though life can be overwhelming, we can all handle today. Today you can express the love of Christ. Today you can get to know your God a little more.

Value yourself.
We also have to value ourselves. God gave you your personality. All your unique attributes He designed, because He enjoys you that way. Your life has such incredible value, and you are irreplaceable. There is a beauty and admirable strength about you that no one else has. Often, too much time and energy is wasted on wrestling with ourselves. Since we don’t like certain things about our bodies or personalities, we tend to try to hide or change the very things about us that actually make us unique. Be thankful for what God gave you; for the body, the health, the intelligence and personality that you have. We are so intricately and complexly put together. Each of us is a masterpiece. And, just like investing time and effort into our relationships helps us to value them, when we invest time and effort into taking care of our bodies and our health, we are able to value ourselves even more. Not to mention, we look better too! Holla!

Choose to live a life of thankfulness.
Practice thanking God everyday for what He’s done in your life and for the things and people He has given you. Because we are freed and secure, God is going to set other people free through us! As we begin to see our own value, we will also be able to see incredible value in the people around us, and in turn we will be able to bring out the best in them. When we steward the things and people in our lives with excellence, it brings personal security. Take care of what’s yours. Value what’s yours. Love what’s yours.