We are Never Diminished

Sometimes things happen that make us feel diminished. Someone says something belittling or says or does something that hurts our feelings or that otherwise seems like a rejection of us. The causes vary but the result is that we experience a blow to our self-worth. We feel less than what we thought we were.

We forget in such moments that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We forget that we are infinitely loved by this God, who never sees us as other than the beautiful child he created. We forget that our worth, our beauty, comes from our creation in God’s image and there is nothing that can ever diminish that.

I recently read reflection on Silent Insight Daily Catholic Meditation that captured this reality in a way that should be easy for us to relate to.

We are made in the image and likeness of God. Our soul magnifies the magnificence of God. We are God’s work of art. Accept yourself, none of us as humans are perfect. We are of value. Consider the story of the $100 bill – As a brand new $100 bill, it is worth $100. As a crumpled old $100 bill, it is still worth $100.

Your value is never diminished, no matter if you have sinned or if people have hurt your feelings.

We can be bruised. We can even crumple a bit. But our value will never be diminished.

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I Am

In a sermon the other day, the priest talked about how we define our worth as persons.  So many people are obsessed with credentials….where people went to school, what their job title is, what they do, how much work product they produce.  The priest observed this tendancy of people to look outside themselves to find their worth and their definition of themselves.  When the Pharisees ask Jesus who he is (essentially, what are you credentials), his response is “I Am.”  Not “I am [a carpenter; a teacher; a preacher, etc.].”  Just “I Am.” That was enough.  Nothing external required. 

And nothing external is required for us: I am created and held continuously and lovingly by God.  Period.  I need nothing else, nothing external, to define me or to give me value.  I need not do or produce anything to give me worth.    

Believing that – not in our head but in the depths of our being – is one of the basic struggles we have as human beings.  Jesus got it.  He knew exactly who he was.  May we all grow in that same certainty.