I'm not really sure why, but it seems that for the past week the same words seem to be ricocheting through my mind. "You are worth something. You have a purpose. You are known. You are loved. Now go tell someone else."
What does that mean anyway? How can you really define worth? An old blanket that is worthless to me could a homeless mans most valuable possession. An encouraging note from a friend could be worth everything to me, but wouldn't much matter to anyone else. Who decides what someone is worth?
What about purpose? I suppose in the back of our minds we think about purpose, but do we really think about it on a day-to-day basis? Am I thinking about my purpose when I work my 8-5 job or when I go to the movies with a friend? Am I thinking about my waiters purpose when he's serving me my food? Is purpose truly for everyone, or just for the select few? How often do we look at a celebrity or a pastor and immediately consider them to be at a different level than us?
What is it to be known? Does anyone really know anyone? People always complain that "you just don't get it. You don't understand." Even long term friendships, family, marriages, you're always learning new things about each other that you didn't know before. Most people can't even know themselves.
What is love? Is it butterflies? Is it sex? It's called making love right? Is love something to be made? How do you know when you are loved? How do you know when you love someone else? What about couples that fall out of love? Or parents that abuse their children when they are genetically programed to love their kids. How serious is love? We say we love a celebrity, a food, a family member, God. Are there multiple definitions?
We may never know the answers to some of these questions, but I want to address the above mentioned statements and the conclusion I have come to.
1. You are worth something. Recently I watched "To Save a Life." If you have not yet seen this movie, Netflix a.s.a.p. This movie is about a student whose former best friend kills himself. This highschooler than decides to reach out by having lunch with the loaners in hopes that he can help them before it is too late. The statistics are heartbreaking and sobering on the amount of people who do not deem themselves worthy of living. People are hurting. I can speak from personal experience, when you come to a point of feeling so alone, that you believe if you died tomorrow, no one would care, it's devastating. And it's a lie. Your life was specifically designed for greatness. Not only were you intentionally created, God was so confident in His decision to make you, that even after we failed, Jesus chose to give His life, so that you could have life. You were worth the blood of the pure and holy son of God. You are worth the time it took Him to create you, the time it takes Him to talk to you, bless you, discipline you, encourage you. I don't know how worth is defined, but friend, the God of the Universe, a universe of billions and billions of people, thinks that YOU are worth something.
2. You have a purpose. You are not an accident. Though some may argue with me, you are not the result of two atoms ramming into each other, or some weird space slime morphing into fish, a monkey, you. Your life has meaning. It is intentional. This conclusion came with watching "Soul Surfer." Bethany Hamilton had big aspirations of becoming a famous surfer. She had incredible potential and was starting to hear from sponsors. At thirteen, she was attacked by a shark and lost her arm. She was forced to face the fact that she may never be able to surf again, let alone professionally. She felt as though her purpose was gone. Professional surfing was now a dream only capable of others achieving. With hard work and determination, Bethany was eventually able to get back on her board and is now one of the best known surfers in the world. This girl had a purpose bigger than she could have ever imagined. And friend, so do you. You have a purpose. This idea that purpose is for other people, and I'm just a nine to five... it's not real. You weren't placed on this earth to convert oxygen to carbon dioxide. You were created for a purpose.3. You are known. I was at the bookstore today and stumbled across some surf wax with a wrapper that read "Deep down, do you have a void that is never filled? This is no ordinary bar of surf wax. What's inside could change your life..." I was pretty stoked. (That's surfer slang for "I thought that was very cool") For one, because I needed surf wax and this was on sale for $1, and for two, what a fantastic way to advertise. And you know how I feel about creative advertising. Everyone knows what it is to build walls. Some peoples walls are fairly thin and low and they are comfortable disclosing all sorts of info. Some walls are built to the rafters of 6ft thick concrete. One of my favorite quotes is that "Sometimes we don't build walls to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to climb over them." As scary as it is to be known, there is a part of us that craves it. If we didn't have a fear of rejection, we would be much more apt to being known. That's the great truth behind this little surf wax wrapper. Do you try to fill a void? Do you 
hope that others can fill it? The only thing that can fill that void is a relationship with Jesus Christ because He is the only one who truly knows you. He knew you before He created you, He knows every hair on your head, He calls you by name, He knows your flaws, your strengths, your innermost thoughts. He knows you better than you or anyone else can ever know yourself. And you know what the best part is? He's not running. He's not leaving. He knows you, and in spite of everything, He will never leave you or forsake you. You friend are known truly and deeply by the God of the universe. And he wants you to know Him too.
hope that others can fill it? The only thing that can fill that void is a relationship with Jesus Christ because He is the only one who truly knows you. He knew you before He created you, He knows every hair on your head, He calls you by name, He knows your flaws, your strengths, your innermost thoughts. He knows you better than you or anyone else can ever know yourself. And you know what the best part is? He's not running. He's not leaving. He knows you, and in spite of everything, He will never leave you or forsake you. You friend are known truly and deeply by the God of the universe. And he wants you to know Him too.4. You are loved. I am a member of a Bible study that is for women who are exiting the adult entertainment industry. Many of these women have been strippers, dancers, escorts, prostitutes. They have been used and abused to a point that they begin to feel like love always starts with sex, and ends with rejection. There is nothing more beautiful than seeing the joy in these girls faces when they cancel their last client, or dance their last shift. To see them begin to learn the difference between lust and love is incredible. It is heartbreaking that so many think these two things are one in the same. You think sex is love? What happens if you stop having sex? Do you still have love? Sex is a conditional love. And so many times this is what we settle for. We settle for conditional. I love you because you make me feel good. I love chocolate because it tastes good. I love my boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife because I feel butterflies when I'm around them. Conditional. If you take something out of these equations- a good feeling, butterflies, good taste, happy memory, joyful associations, etc you would no longer say that you love this person or thing. Unconditional love has no bounds. It never fails. It doesn't leave you or reject you. It doesn't expect in return. To truly love, and to truly be loved, is an incredible gift. God so loved you, that He sent His only son to this earth, who willingly died for you so that you could call on Him as your savior and have eternal life. He didn't die for you so that you would be guilted into living a good life, it was because He loved you so much, this life isn't enough for Him. He wants you for eternity. God isn't on a power trip in Heaven, sitting on His perfect throne and demanding you live perfectly for Him. He knows that we are flawed, and He beckons us to abide in Him, to come to Him, because He wants to be our strength. He wants to be there for us. He wants to love you, spend time with you, have a relationship with you. This isn't a conditional "do good deeds and I'll let you into Heaven, do bad deeds and I will damn you to hell" love. This is an unconditional, "Come to me and I will give you life, life to the full, and I will teach you what agape, or true love really is." Friend, you are truly, deeply, and completely loved.
5. Go tell someone. If you are reading this blog and these thoughts seem new to you, I hope you take them to heart. I hope you know that I am not just writing for a random mass audience; I'm writing for you. YOU are worth something. YOU have a purpose. YOU are known. YOU are loved. I have never meant anything more honestly or deeply. If you are reading this and these thoughts seem familiar, don't keep them to yourself. Go tell someone. What a waste to know that you are worth something and to not live a worthy life. To know you have a purpose but to sit back and watch it pass you by. To be deeply known and to not take the opportunity of knowing God in return. To know what it is to be loved and to not share that with someone else. Keeping things to yourself is such a waste. Tell someone who needs to know these truths, because believe it or not, not everyone does. You have the ability to make a difference in someones life. You have the ability to make someone feel worthy. You have the ability to help someone recognize or fulfill their purpose. You have the ability to know someone. To tell someone, I love you.
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