You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet. Psalm 8:6 (NKJV)
God has given the entire planet to mankind.
Psalm 8:7–8 says even the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea are under our control.
This doesn’t mean we have the right to abuse or neglect what God has given us—quite the opposite! We have the responsibility to manage this earth and keep it healthy. But we need a new perspective on who we are as humans. We are not one of the animals, evolved from single celled organisms by chance. God created mankind intentionally. He breathed His life into us.
We need to get our self-worth from who we are to Him. If we don’t, we will try to get our self-worth elsewhere—from our looks, other people’s opinions and our achievements. Christians are just as susceptible to this trap.
In fact, many try to get their self-worth from what they’re doing for God. Without realizing it, they think that if they could just do more for God, they’d feel better about themselves. In reality, they’ll just burn out!
Churches are notorious for teaching this. Everyone should volunteer, but not to try to earn something with God. God loves you the way you are. His love isn’t about your acts of service! When you serve others, you’ll live a better life. You’ll discover the joy of being a blessing, but God’s love is the same no matter what.
Recognize how special you are to the God of the universe. You are His crowning achievement. God loved you so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for you. That’s how special you are.