So, I'm sitting here in my hotel room with three amazing friends and sisters in Christ....my head and heart still reeling after all that I experienced at the Women of Faith conference this weekend. We left the arena 5 hours ago, but it will take me a lot of time to process and apply all that I've gleaned from this amazing trip.
I wanted to share one story with you.....the first of many takeaways from this weekend. One of the speakers we saw today was Lisa Harper. She, like all the speakers we saw this weekend, is a phenomenal speaker! She shared so much with us, but one story in particular really resonated with me because she brought all 7,000 of us conference attendees into the story, too.
She told us about her work at a recovery center in Tennessee where she works with women who have abused drugs and alcohol. During one of her studies with them, one of the women suddenly related to her how much she missed communion. This woman had not had communion in 8 years, due to her incarceration. Lisa assured this woman that they could have communion right then and there. An unfinished bottle of warm Pepsi, and a handful of Ricola cough drops had to suffice for the bread and wine as there was no grape juice and wafers available in that moment. They used what they had. Lisa prayed over the elements, and as this woman took that Pepsi and poured a few drops into the bottle cap, she turned to her neighbor and said, "This is the blood of Jesus, shed for you, because he thinks you're worth it."
Wow.
Lisa went on to tell us other things, not the least of which was the fact that she was weeping during this communion ceremony, and for the first time......she got it. She got what it is communion is about. It's not about bread and wine....wafers, or juice......it's about remembering the sacrifice of Jesus, and the reason for that sacrifice......"because he thinks you're worth it." Translation: He loves you.
At the close of her talk, Lisa had us turn to our neighbor - facing them, square. I turned to my friend, Laurissa, and we followed Lisa's instructions: Grab the hands of the person you're facing......look them straight in the eye.....and repeat these words, "Jesus died for you because he thinks you're worth it." Both our eyes were filled with tears. Laurissa said, "I don't think I'll be able to say it." I felt the same way, but couldn't even voice that I agreed with her. Between the two of us, we managed to mumble out some tear-ridden, shaky-voiced version of those words. Lisa then had us hug our partners. A real hug. A full on, frontal, boobs touching boobs hug. Seriously, we were instructed to give a boob-on-boob hug, this was, after all, an arena full of women...... And we stood there, hugging.....weeping.....worth it, in the eyes of Jesus.
This was not news to us. We knew this truth already. But....there was something about being looked in the eye....held by both hands....in the grip of a sister, and being told.....that we are worth it. In the eyes of Jesus, the Alpha and Omega, the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace.....in the eyes of the son of God, the one who is sinless, perfect, and holy.....We. Are. Worth it. How amazing is that.......how AMAZING is that?!
You're worth it.
If you're reading this, you're worth it.
If you are breathing, you're worth it.
No matter what you've done, you're worth it.
No matter where you've been, you're worth it.
When you make mistakes, you're worth it.
When you fail, you're worth it.
When you lose, you're worth it.
When you're broken, you're worth it.
When you want to give up, you're worth it.
When you feel like there is nothing of value left in you.......YOU are worth it.
PERIOD.
Fully redeemed, fully saved, fully LOVED....fully worth it. Do yourself a favor....go the nearest mirror....look at yourself, and declare, out loud, "Jesus died for me because he thinks I'm worth it." Remember, the enemy is crafty, and he will continually try to convince you otherwise, so hang your hat on that, my friends, and claim that truth in your life.
Jesus died for you because he thinks you're worth it. Hallelujah - thank you Jesus!