But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high. (Psalms 3:3) (NIV)
As she drew water, the Samaritan woman was lost in despair.
My children are embarrassed by me. Five husbands and now a faithless boyfriend. The clay pot on my head is worth more than me.
She didn’t notice the rabbi watching her until he spoke.
"Will you give me a drink?”
Jesus broke every barrier by speaking to a woman born outside Judaism. His words did more than ask a question. They took hold of her chin and gently lifted it. She had trashed her self-worth. He offered to fill her soul with value.
The hope-filled woman ran into her village and convinced others to listen to Jesus explain redemption. Together they were saved from worthlessness.
There is a subtle, yet critical, distinction between worldly self-esteem and godly self-esteem. The first says I am significant because I stand above others. The focus is on achievement and attractiveness. Godly self-esteem says I am important because Jesus, who is every wonderful thing in the universe, lives in me.
Satan wields a double-edged sword. With the forward cut he tells me I’m important because I’m popular, rich, or powerful. After I fail these ambitions, he delivers the backstroke, berating me as a pitiful human specimen. The distance of my fall is greater for the false height to which he lifted me.
Then Jesus catches me. “I’ll prove your worth. I’ll live inside you.”
Prayer: My beautiful Savior, I celebrate your worth in me.