Worthy

I'm not sure exactly when it happens. I don't know when we begin to doubt ourselves, but it happens. We remember a past failure. We reflect on a situation that didn't work out the way we thought. Before we know it, those seeds of doubt have taken root in our heart. We don't believe. We distrust. We second guess. We focus on the negative. We forget. We forget our purpose. We forget to smile. We forget to love. We forget ourselves. We forget our worth. Remember who you were before fear. Remember who you were before the pain. Remember who you were before you stopped believing. Remember your worth. You're worthy of all God has for you. You're worthy of love and respect. You're worthy of kind words and acceptance. You're worthy. 

Pearls

I grew up wanting to wear my grandmother's pearls. I loved how beautiful and shiny they were against her brown skin. I knew it was a special occasion if my grandmother was wearing her pearls. Ironically, "pearl" was one of her nicknames. My grandmother valued her pearls, maybe because she knew what it cost her or maybe because wearing her pearls made her forget momentarily that she was a Black woman raised in the segregated South.

The bible speaks about not throwing your pearls to swine. Simply put, don't give what you value away. Some species of oysters die when a pearl is harvested. Are you willing to die for what you produced? Are you willing to die for your purpose to be accomplished? Your life's work is your pearl. 

Pearls are produced by irritation. The defense mechanism of the oyster is to isolate the irritant. What's irritating you? It's producing your pearls. Every layer you use to isolate the irritation is adding dimension, color, and value to your pearls.