unWorthy

It is a truth universally acknowledged that humanity often finds lies easier to believe than truth.

-Audrey Frank

Some lies seem to be written on hearts in permanent ink, graffitied in different languages across cultures and continents, yet all meaning the same. unWorthy. unLoveable. unSeen. unHeard. unKnown. unClean. unDefended. 

At The Truth Collective, we are seeking to uncover the lies and help people believe what is True. We are proud to unveil our latest project, the unGallery, premiering in Charlotte, NC, October 10-11. Global artists have contributed exquisite expressions of the lies we often believe and the Truth that sets us free. I hope you will join us by reserving your space here. Be sure to use the code AudreyFrank for a 30% discount.

Over the next six weeks, I will be unpacking these unTruths at our weekly storytime. Join me as we uncover lies and believe Truth together.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Jesus, in Matthew 10:29-31

The girl lived in the basement in a hidden room.

Old ladies wagged their fingers as they whispered her tale over steaming cups of tea. Brought from the country tribe in the far mountains, she had been sold to the family to be a servant. Her unspoken task was to serve the men of the household, especially the unmarried men who needed practice, for their pleasure. In return, she was given a room, clothing, and food.

The girl’s existence was not discussed as she quietly moved from room to room in the massive house, mopping floors, tidying beds, serving tea, and washing dishes. 

If anyone paused to look at her, to brazenly stare right into her eyes for a moment, they would have seen the lie written across her soul: I am unWorthy. I do not deserve effort, attention, or respect; I am worthless.

This is a true story, and one repeated in many parts of the world behind closed doors, in hidden rooms. It was told to me not long after I discovered the hidden basement room just weeks before we were to move into an old house in a Muslim majority nation. We lived in an ancient city, full of secrets, some terrible and others beautiful. The terrible ones often involved females, and always involved shame.

Maybe this story strikes you as an uncomfortable tale from a land far away.

Or perhaps, just perhaps, it describes you or someone you love. Hiding behind the walls of a hidden room inside your heart, hoping to disappear, shrinking away from love and friendship because you believe you do not deserve the effort. You or your loved one have believed the lie that you are unWorthy.

This lie is thriving in hearts everywhere and enslaves all who believe it.

You do not deserve attention.

You are not worthy of love and respect.

You do not merit my effort.

You are unWorthy.

One of the most potent lies God’s enemy whispers, unWorthy strikes at the very heart of our identity.

We were each gifted with infinite value, an identity created for us and in us before we were born, by a loving Creator. #worthy #unGallery #believewhatistrue Share on X

Worth was given to you and me by the Creator who knows the plans He has for us, plans not to harm us, but to give us hope and a future (Psalm 139:16, Jeremiah 29:11). 

He knows the very number of hairs on our head (Matthew 10:29). This Creator of ours knows when we sit and when we rise, when we go out and come in, when we stand and lie down (Psalm 139:1-3). 

The Priceless-Identity-Giver created us with immeasurable worth, equal value to every other human on earth.

Like a parent who delights to see his image in his child, marking that one as my own child, God lovingly crafted us in His image. He is worthy of our effort, our attention, and our respect. And we, too, made in our Father’s image, are worthy of love and respect. 

The walls of your hidden room are not invisible to the God who sees you (Genesis 16:13). Your name is know by the One who has engraved it upon the palms of His hands, your walls ever before Him (Isaiah 49:16). He is the same One who could not be hindered by death nor by walls, who suddenly appeared to His beloved followers as they huddled behind locked doors, mourning the loss of their Lord, questioning their worth (John 20:19-20). 

God deems you deserving of His effort. Worthy of His attention. Jesus respects you. In truth, He is the only One who fully knows the measure of your immeasurable worth. He is so acutely aware of it that the depth, the breadth, the length of your worth compelled Him to give His own life on the cross to secure it forever.

If you find this hard to believe, would you take my hand and pray this prayer with me?

God, I find it hard, if not impossible, to believe I matter. But I want to confront the lie that I am unWorthy and replace it with Truth. Please help me do this. Show me the roots of this lie and help me resist them in Jesus’ name. When I doubt, remind my heart that my worth depends on You and that You are my fortress, and when I know that I will not be shaken (Psalm 62:7). Thank you for Jesus, who has made me completely worthy in Your sight and has restored my honor in every way. Amen.

To learn more about the girl in the hidden room and the hope God gives those shrouded in shame, get a copy of Covered Glory: The Face of Honor and Shame in the Muslim World by clicking here.

@audreycfrank