Women and Worth

            We women receive so many different messages about our worth, from so many different sources. We are only as valuable as our bodies, so we should flaunt them—or we should cover them up. We are only as valuable as our purity. If we make a mistake, we are chewed gum, of no worth to anyone. We are valuable only if we are thin and young. If we are mothers and stay home, we aren’t making the most of our brains. If we are mothers and also work outside the home, we aren’t taking proper care of our children. If we are not mothers for whatever reason, we are selfish and think only of ourselves. If we are single others assume we are incomplete without a partner. If we are married we are the “old ball and chain.” Or, if we are married, we are only half of a whole and we are referred to as “my better half.” We are the trophy wife if we are younger than our partners. We are the cougar if we are older than our partners.

            We women are bombarded with messages about our worth all the time. It’s mostly lies.

            The truth is, you have inherent, innate worth. You were born with a unique mind and personality, with a unique body to house them. You are valuable because you are, because you exist. You are valuable because you have something no one else has—yourself. You are valuable because there is no one else exactly like you. Your past, whatever it is, has helped you become the woman you are, and given you gifts no one else has.

            You have eyes, or ears, or hands with which to receive this new message: you are of worth.

            There is value and honor in mothering, in cashiering at Walmart, in running a corporation, in waiting tables, and in running a country. There is value and honor in being a wife, a friend, an aunt, a sister, a cousin, and a neighbor. There is value and honor in those things your unique mind and body can do. There is value and honor in living well. These things are important to the smooth running of our social machinery. Your worth, however, is not tied to what you do with your time.

            Virtue, compassion, and gentleness are valuable. Your worth is not tied to your outward traits.

            We receive so many messages that make us feel valueless, and too often we believe them.

            What might happen if all women, everywhere, recognized and truly believed in their own value? How might the world be different is we all took possession of our inherent worth? Imagine what might change if YOU believed in your own innate value. Imagine what you could accomplish if you stopped wondering if you had anything good to offer, and simply knew you DO have something good to offer. Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, whatever your choices, there is value in you. You matter. You are important. You are of infinite worth.