I refuse.

Fall break is such a wonderful creation. Today, I was blessed to spend the whole day with just my Meme. I cherish these moments with the most genuinely kind, caring woman I know. She's tough as nails on the outside but sweet jelly inside. She bestowed some of her great wisdom and I thought it necessary to share.

Basically, the gist of our conversation and her advice was this. "You must believe yourself to be of great value, despite the world's harsh contradictions."

It saddens me deeply that the world has developed such a disgusting "standard" by which we are expected to meet. I refuse. I refuse on all parameters, dimensions, and aspects. I refuse to give myself for free without a ring on it. More so, I flat out refuse to marry someone with the mentality "if it doesn't work, there's always divorce." When did divorce become so old-fashioned? I refuse to step on people on my way to the top. I refuse to compromise my beliefs to earn a coveted, higher position. I refuse.

Food for thought, when did we begin belittling ourselves? God has not once ever thought us to be of little worth. Ever. In fact, He found us to be of so much value that He gave His only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. In truth, we will never be worthy of the grace He continues to rain down day after day. However, when we begin to view ourselves the way He does, that is when true transformation comes. That is the day when we abandon a world that has done NOTHING for us and give it all to the One who has done EVERYTHING!

Let us be a generation who refuses to fit the "standard". Instead, let's enforce and lift up the only standard that matters, the one of our Abba Father. You've never gone too far or done too much. You're wonderfully and beautifully made. There is nothing awkward, ugly, or ordinary about you. :)