Cheap Worth
Laura Eldredge specializes in leadership, evangelism, and ministry to women, Laura is a musician-turned-author/speaker based in Dallas, TX. As a small-town Carolina-native, she had big dreams of pursuing a career in music until God got a hold of her heart. At the age of 22, she hung up her cowboy boots and went “all in” with Jesus. Laura has since undergone extensive ministry training through the Watermark Institute and has been leading in church ministry for the past 6 years. Her passion for God’s Word and his people, matched with raw and hilarious stories will keep you on your toes. She is recently married to her husband Colby, and you can find stories about their goofy life with practical applications on growing your faith on Instagram @laurakeldredge. She is super excited to be joining the Boldly Seeking guest writer lineup for the month of August and share what Jesus has been putting on her heart lately!! We are so excited to welcome Laura to our Guest Writer line-up and are so excited for you to read her blog.
Read below, comment, and join the conversation! XO, the Boldly Seeking Team
This blog is an excerpt from the seasonal devotional TWELVE, by Laura Eldredge ©2020. Follow along for when TWELVE and other publications will be available on Instagram @laurakeldredge.
I’ve always had a knack for the stage. As a kid and teenager, I danced. In junior high and high school, I cheered. For 10 years of my life I traveled and played country music for a living, and now I speak to women about common ways we all wrestle with God and His word. As long as I can remember, I’ve loved the stage. But before you start thinking this is some subtle flex, let me share with you the most pivotal moment in my life and career—laying it down.
I had the stage for so long that I didn’t know who I was without it. You may or may not relate to that. But maybe you know what it’s like to feel that high when you get a peak in likes or views. Or when you get the approval and attention you always wanted from the “in crowd.” You might know what it feels like to stand a little taller after nailing it at work. Maybe, like me, you’re really familiar with the low of walking away from a conversation and wondering if you said too much. Or wondering if whatever you did will make people reject you. Maybe you’ve felt that sinking feeling in your gut when you find out someone else was chosen over you.
When I was at the height of my career in country music, God revealed to me that the best thing I could do to be successful was to lay it all down. And that’s when everything changed.
I didn’t know what I was worth until I stopped trying to find worth in everything that couldn’t give it to me. God, in his kindness, had me trade in cheap worth for the confidence of having an identity firmly planted in him. No matter what I feel, that can’t change.
You, like me, are a person God loves. So much so that he went to incredible lengths to die for you and be raised to life again. All so you could be in relationship with him. If you feel “more-than” or “less-than” based on anything other than what God says about you, you might be falling into the trap I often find myself in—looking to all the wrong people and places to tell you that you’re worth it.
1 Corinthians 4:3 says, “As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point.” (NLT)
God is the only one who has the authority to tell you how much you’re worth. Whether your measures are subtle, like staying off social media for a day, or extreme, like giving up a 10-year-long career, any act to fight the temptation to pursue cheap worth is an act that is worth it.
Take a minute to read the following scriptures and then answer the following questions:
ROMANS 5:8
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ISAIAH 41:9
I took you f rom the ends of the earth, f rom its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
1. Do you believe you are worth loving and dying for? Why or why not?
2. If you’re honest with yourself, where do you look outside of Christ for worth? (Pro-Tip: Consider work, looks, money, success, friendships, relationships, and approval. If you aren’t sure, consider if you feel worse when you lack one of those, or better when you have them.)
3. What in your life has led you to believe that you have less worth than God gave you?
4. What steps do you need to take to fight the temptation to pursue cheap worth? What scripture can you memorize to help remind you of your true worth when you’re feeling the highs or lows of cheap worth?
