Where do I place my value and worth?
In life, we often pursue the things we value most. The pursuits and goals we value are the things that are the easiest things for us to buy into.
A blog recently written by Job Nyangacha, a leader in WSU Chi Alpha and a WSU senior pursuing elementary education, started out with the following message:
“The value we place on possessions is a reflection of our life experiences. I value a nice pair of basketball shoes much more than I do, say, a nice pair of ice skates. There’s nothing wrong with ice skates or ice-skating, but in my past, I have put much more worth –both mentally and monetarily –in what I wear on the court as opposed to what I wear on the ice. Someone with a hockey or figure skating background might have it flipped –new skates over new LeBron’s. It’s this reason why we are able to rationalize certain purchases over others, and why we can have a ‘favorite’ of something even though there are other options available.”
The part of Job’s message that stuck out to me the most was, “The value we place on possessions is a reflection of our life experiences.” It is so true when you really sit back and think about it. We make sacrifices and sometimes even make lifestyle changes for what we value. We move, rearrange, eliminate and add to our life so that they line up with the things that we hold as more important than others.
However, even though we can value good things, we can still pursue them the wrong way. When you start changing your morals and saying “OK” to things that you would have never allowed in your life, it becomes a potentially dangerous pursuit.
In my past, I have struggled with being a people-pleaser and living for the acceptance of other people. Don’t get me wrong; being like by others is not a bad thing to value. Until, however, it is pursued the wrong way and valued over things that it shouldn’t be valued over. Rapper Lecrae sums this idea up perfectly in his autobiography Unashamed: “If you live for people’s acceptance, you will die from their rejection.” Dang. I don’t know about you, but that really hit home for me. I mean, this pursuit definitely feels good for a while; always having people to hang out with, always being social, always being the life of the party. In the end, however, that “feel good” feeling runs dry and is replaced by emptiness and loneliness. You’ll start thinking things like “Why do I feel so lonely when so many people like me and like being around me?”
It is in these moments that I would to resort to questions like:
Do I matter?
Do I have value?
These are two questions that we often seek answers to as we grow up. It is when these questions are left unanswered that we start to identify with the labels society puts on us or we put on ourselves. We start to believe we deserve less and in turn settle for whatever the world throws at us.
However, it doesn’t have to be that way. I’m here to tell you that those labels are not who you are. Let me say it again, those labels do not define who you are.
This Friday, WSU Chi Alpha will be partnering with the Minneapolis, MN non-profit organization Valued and will be hosting The Valued Events on campus, for both men and women.
Last year’s Women’s Valued Event was an awesome experience!
The Valued Events were created to put an end to men and women living lives that don’t reflect their true identity of being valued.
We want you to know that your life does hold incredible value, despite past circumstances or past mistakes. Regardless of what you’ve done or what’s been done to you. No matter where you’ve been or where you are now…
YOU ARE VALUED.
I would highly recommend that if you’re reading this, you make the effort to attend. We all have questions about what our value is and the things that we value, and hearing from two WSU Chi Alpha alumni –Sarah Thewis and Eric Kuhn –it will be a great place to have these questions answered. I hope you find the time to make it this Friday; it’s going to be a great time for both the guys and the ladies!
The Women’s Valued Event will be held Friday, March 24 from 7-9pm in SLC 120, and the Men’s Valued Event will be held from 6-9pm at The Edge on Main Street by campus.
