It’s easy to forget how important we really are in God’s plan. This is especially true when we are exhausted, unappreciated, grieving, lonely, or just feel lost. At work, we are often viewed as replaceable. To significant others or even spouses we may feel expendable. With family we are often taken for granted. So that begs the question “Really, how important am I”?

In Genesis God said I was created in His image. If I am created in the image of God, then surely I must be of value in His plan. If I am created in His image, I have an important part in reflecting the qualities of Christ to others.

I feel like I do well at reflecting the qualities of empathy, love and kindness. I’m working on being a better reflection of grace, forgiveness, and wisdom.

What qualities of Christ do you reflect?

“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”” Genesis‬ ‭1:26‬

“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬

I was sitting at an airport this last year on my way home from a trip. It was an international flight so I was there early with time to kill. I was sitting on one of those rows in front of the gate facing another row of guests. This was an international airport and it was filled with people.  I was really enjoying people watching.  Across from me sat a husband, wife and little girl who I guess was about 7 years old. They spoke a different language and I couldn’t understand the conversations.  The young girl kept looking at me and giggling. She leaned over and said something to her mother and giggled again. Her mother looked at me and said, “my daughter says you are beautiful like a princess.”

I got up and hugged the little girl as tears welled up in my eyes. I hadn’t heard anyone call me beautiful in years. I was completely humbled. I have felt a lot of things over the years, but beautiful isn’t one of them.

Like many of you I’m often filled with self-doubt.  Satan is  a master at this and it’s his number one tool to disarm me. There have been many times over these last several years when Satan has led me to believe I’m simply not good enough. I have felt unworthy, unloved, un-prepared, inadequate, undeserving, unsuitable and often fearful.  Its sad that it took this innocent child to remind me I am a Princess.

Out of the mouths of babes.  Why is it I have to be reminded I am a princess . Yes, I am a child of the King!  Not just any King but I am a daughter of the King of Kings and Lord or Lords. I am beautifully and wonderfully created in His Image. My King, my Heavenly Father, has prepared a palace for me in Heaven that is unimaginable. Like any other member of the Royal Family, He empowers me, anoints me, blesses me with gifts and protects me. He created me in His image and He chose me.

I am not the only victim.  Self-doubt is a most powerful tool.  It disarms even those with the most potential, the most amazing gifts, and the most talent.  Self doubt paralyzes us, kills our dreams, crushes our souls and sets us in a downward sprial of negative self talk.  If you are a child of God, it’s time to recognize your worth, be empowered, set goals, and achieve your dreams.  You are a prince/princess and there is nothing stopping you.

• Give yourself a little grace
• Set goals and dreams
• Do one thing each week for yourself
• Spend time with those whom you love
• Invest in other people like you want them to invest in you
• Read about someone who inspires you

Hold on world; let me straighten my tiara… There is nothing this Princess can’t do.

“Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty— he is the King of glory.” Psalms 24:10

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty!” Psalms 8:3-8

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:48

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.

I honestly believe I owe all of my personal success and healing to living this philosophy. At my core, I believe life on this earth is truly about helping and serving others. I also believe that we are all blessed with gifts to be able to do just that. I was blessed with the gift of empathy, helping, and teaching.

I’ve been a helper and teacher my whole life. At an early age I was teaching and caring for 3 younger sisters. After college, I became a classroom teacher. I then continued to serve in my role as school counselor. Later, I went on to serve as a high school principal and eventually district leadership serving and teaching adults. I always felt like my career was more than a job; it was my calling. I tried to be a servant leader and poured my whole heart into every position. As a high school principal, I served my school, my community, my staff and my students with everything I had. It was the most exhausting yet rewarding position I ever held. When Larry and Landon died, that service came full circle. My students, staff and community began to help, support, and serve me in a way I never could have imagined. They literally wrapped their arms around me and held me through my darkest days. It was truly a beautiful picture of God’s love.

My greatest healing has come through service of others. When we take the focus off of ourselves we began to see our place in this world. In serving others, we can reframe our own circumstances and begin to put our own lives in perspective.

Whether teaching kids or adults, I’ve been blessed to be able to use my gifts, my calling, to serve others. When our gifts, our passion, our service come together it’s a perfect beautiful picture of love.

I’m now getting ready to retire from 27 years of public education. I have dreams of Carribean life, diving, and watching beautiful sunsets from the front of a boat or with my toes in the sand. I have books to write, stories to tell and more people to help. Maybe, I even have some children to teach to scuba dive. I’m not sure what it all looks like, but I don’t think God is through with me yet.

How are you serving others? What is your calling? What gifts have you been blessed with? It’s not too late to change your life by losing yourself in the service of others.

For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Matthew 25:42‭-‬45

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good…. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11