You are precious

"You are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you.."

-Isaiah 43:4

One morning, I sat with one of my Sunday school kids. She faced bullying at her school, which made her feel like an outcast and led her to believe, 'Everyone would be happier if I just disappeared.' Despite having a condition called scoliosis and undergoing seven surgeries by the age of eleven, she continues to fight. Her strength is a testament to the bright future that awaits her. If only they knew the strength she carried that inspired me. Do you realize how precious and loved you are?

It is in our nature to devalue ourselves and our worth, especially in the eyes of the world, which can reflect how we see ourselves. We forget that we are cherished and valuable in God's eyes.

Isaiah 43:4 is a beautiful verse that reveals how precious and honored we are in His sight. It presents themes that are the core foundation of the Christian Faith - love, value, honor, and protection- and expresses God's relationship with us. It serves as a reminder of God's unwavering love and care towards us and our worth in His sight. "Since you are precious," God sees us as something of great worth and value to Him and "..honoured in my sight," showing the dignity and respect God bestows on His people, reinforcing the idea of our value in His eyes. "..Because I love you.." emphasizes God's deep and abiding love for us, freely given, with grace and reflecting God's character and true nature. His everlasting love towards us.

So what makes us precious? Honored and loved?

It all goes back to the beginning, in the book of Genesis, when God created mankind.

"Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.." - Genesis 1:26

"With God as the author of the world's story, He blazes us onto the pages of history as His image bearers - something unique from everything else He made. We are touched by God's glory as His special creation and because of that we know we are wholly loved. God loves His handiwork. Taken to its beautiful conclusion, being made in His image helps us to love in three ways:

1. We love the one who created us, as a child loves a parent

2. we love ourselves because God's created us endorsing us with uniqueness and value

3. We love others because they too bear His image yet are delightfully original. This variety reveals the fullness of God's love."

   
   

   - reference - Radiant Virtues Bible-

"The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."

- Job 33:4

How wonderful it is to know that we were created in God's image and have His breath flowing through us? The moment God breathed into us, we became valuable and precious, given the Holy Spirit. We are so precious to Him that even though we were fallen sinners and doomed as the children of Adam, God loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that we would not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16-17). God loved us so much that He molded us into His image - His purity, loving, kindness, compassionate and forgiving. While undeserving, we are still gifted the gift of grace. It is a blessing to be loved by our Father, God the Father, regardless of our age, shape, size, saint and even sinner. No matter who we are, it is an open invitation to join Him at His table, to dine with Him and for Him to wash our feet.

"For you have formed my inwards parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made."

-Psalms 139:13-14