Are We Worthy?
By Wilma Ditterline

What is worth? Do you think it’s a positive thing to be worthy of something good? I can’t help but think about all of the times I’ve been told how sinful it is to be proud of myself. I’ve heard things like, “pride is a sin” and “pride comes before the fall.” Well, I agree that when you are prideful in a negative way then you need to reevaluate yourself. But, is this the same as feeling proud of what you’ve overcome and accomplished? Is it okay to say “yes, I am proud of the choices I’ve made that have led me to where I am?”

I think somewhere down the line we lose the truth of our worth. We have taken a message that tells us not to think we’re better than others, and we’ve turned that into thinking we’re not even as good as others. I don’t think this is what He meant. We are all members of the same body of Christ and if you’ve been in church you’ve probably heard the message that we are all important parts of this body. We all serve different functions within the body of Christ and no one is more important than anyone else. However, when one person does something great, don’t we often pat him on the back and tell him how proud we are of what he’s done? I have. So, it’s safe to say that it’s okay for me to do that for myself too. After all, I’m worth as much as him right?

I feel like many Christians go throughout life trying to be so careful to not think too much of themselves that they end up thinking very little of themselves. But, we forget that Christ came so we can live life abundantly (John 10:10). You know, I came from a childhood of physical and sexual abuse. As a teen, I was angry and confused, but somewhere along the line I had to make a choice. I had to choose to either stay in that place, or to grow and change. I chose to be different and to break that cycle. I never really learned to be proud of that decision though. I always just told people that it was all because of God saving my life. But you know, even though it was God who allowed me to see that I had a choice, it was me who made that choice. I’m learning to be proud of myself in that. Many people don’t make the right choice to be different, and I did, and it’s okay to be proud of myself. The same goes for each of you. I think we as Christians especially need to learn to be proud of who we are in Christ and the good things we have accomplished. We are worthy. As part of the gay community, we are worthy. Don’t let others tell you differently, and don’t you tell yourself differently. You are worthy. Be proud of who you are.

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