You Are Loved
Have you ever felt like your life really doesn’t matter? Like it’s just a mindless maze? What’s the purpose to any of it anyway?
This may very well be the way you feel or have felt at some point in your life. I too have felt lost. I too have felt like I wasn’t going anywhere. I too have felt like my life didn’t matter that much. One recurring thought was: “Me. I’m just one in 7 billion others. Am I really all that important?”
The day that I heard Pope Emeritus Benedict’s statement, “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary,” I had to ask myself, “Did my life actually matter that much?”
This question challenged me to the very core. No more comparison games. No more self-loathing. No more. I am willed, I am loved, I am necessary.
If you struggle with seeing your own worth, please hear these words anew; take them to heart because they’re true. They’re actually the deepest truth of who you are.
Willed
You are not an accident! You exist for a reason. Did you know that the odds of you existing are literally 1/400 trillion? (See this blog: http://blogs.harvard.edu/abinazir/2011/06/15/what-are-chances-you-would-be-born). This is incredible! Just think: you would not be here if you’re parents had never met, or your parents’ parents, etc. You’re meant to be here. Pause and think about this for a moment: You are truly irreplaceable and unrepeatable.
Loved
You are loved! This love isn’t just a romantic love with all the warm and fuzzy feelings. As Dante sings, it is “the love that moves the sun and the other stars.” The love that called this entire universe into being from nothing called you into being. How deeply you are loved! Love is the very reason for our existence. If you struggle to believe this, I just want to tell you, “You are loved. It is good that you exist.”
Necessary
You are necessary! The world would not be the same without you. This doesn’t depend on anything you can do. It has everything to do with who you are. After all, we’re human beings and not human doings. Every human life is necessary. Never underestimate the effect that you have on people. By your very existence, you have changed the world. You are necessary.
Practicals
How do we live in a way that reflects these deep truths? Here are three practical things that you can do:
1) You are a gift to the world. Respect the gift that you are. Never forget who you are. When self-loathing thoughts come, remind yourself of who you are. When comparison games begin, remind yourself of who you are. If you are ever feeling down or unimportant, reread the above quote and watch this video clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slQksNmGg0Q
(2) Love is the very reason for our existence. Love the people in your path each day. This can be done in simple ways like: looking people in the eyes, using their names, putting aside technology when with others (as possible), listening more than talking (One of my personal challenges), helping a family member with homework or house chores, or sitting with a lonely student at lunch.
(3) Love expands our hearts. Go out of your way to share love and joy. Visit a hospital or care facility; a kind smile and conversation can change a person’s day. Help at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Be creative! Use your gifts and talents to love with your own personal flair.
Love is the reason for our existence. What a gift it is to be here on this planet at this moment! What a gift it is to know that: You are willed! You are loved! You are necessary! This is exactly what I needed to hear that day to break out of my own sense of worthlessness. I hope that this reflection can help you do the same.
