Since my oldest nephew was an infant, we have done daily affirmations together. One of which is “I am worthy.” As we recite these words, I wonder what is worth? What makes someone worthy? I often struggle with this concept because I battle what I believe to be true versus what the actions of others have proven to me. A dear clinical professor of mine has reminded me of the importance of catering mind, body, and spirit. Considering this, I found that India Arie, ironically, released an album and song entitled Worthy (talk about intentionality). The lyrics are as follows:
I know your life, I felt your pain
I know your joys and your shames
Sometimes it feels like life walks over you, oh
Like you're a penny on the ground
But either on the ground or in your purse
The smallest piece still holds its worth
Every one of us is worthy
Baby girl, worthy woman
Every one of us is worthy
Baby girl, worthy woman
Every one of us is worthy
Worthy of love
Worthy of life
Worthy of saying no when something don't feel right
This is a song for you
For all the ups and downs that life will put you through, oh...Everyone of us is worthy
After meditating on these lyrics, I came to the conclusion that we often complicate worth as opposed to utilizing its simple definition: having value. With oxygen filling our lungs and blood circulating throughout our body, we are worthy. Our divine existence is what grants us the blessing of worth. If we didn’t have value, we wouldn’t be here. We wouldn’t have capabilities and talents, testimonies and strength. So to my sister questioning her worth because he cheated, to my brother who faces injustice daily, to that teenager mother, to that 40 year old single and tired of mingling, to you reading this….you are worthy.