on value, purpose, and walmart

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me,O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”

I love David’s words in Psalm 139:13-14.

Before this world, and the circumstances of your life, became the loudest voice in your heart, screaming at you ever-changing lies about your value and your worth, God had something important to say. You were fearfully and wonderfully made first.

You were intentionally created and knit together with purpose--every day of your life recorded in His book long before your birth. You were planned, designed and delighted in; placed where you are and amongst who you are with for such a time as this. You are His masterpiece. And through Christ Jesus you have been created anew so you can do the good things He planned for you long ago. (Ephesians 2:10)

A friend of mine once taught on value through the simplest metaphor. She asked if I considered myself a Walmart girl or a Dolce and Gabanna girl. 

I immediately identified as a Walmart girl. Why? Because Wally World is cheap! It’s an easy place to run and get what you need quickly; it markets itself around accessibility and convenience. Everything is marked with low, low prices and you can walk in dressed in just about anything. Anyone can shop at Walmart. The quality of the products are low, but Walmart functions on a first-come-first serve basis where you can get whatever you want or need for cheap.

Dolce and Gabanna, on the other hand, operates completely differently. To even enter one of their retail locations, you are to be well dressed and presentable. As soon as you walk through the doors, a security guard keeps tabs on you. Not because you are young or even suspicious, but simply because you are present in their store. The merchandise is so valuable they make sure nothing is treated improperly. And that presence causes you to act carefully; to value the items around you. You are in a precious place amongst such valuable material you can’t help but behave properly, politely, and purposefully.

How does that speak to our worth and value as women? We like Walmart because it is cheap, easy, and accessible. But do we carry ourselves like we are easy and accessible too? A Walmart girl has low value. A Walmart girl operates on a first-come-first-serve basis. If a man affirms her or makes her feel valuable in any way he is easily granted access to what she has to offer. He can come in any state of spiritual dress--there’s no standard or requirement of him. A Walmart girl doesn’t exercise discernment in who can come and get what they need. She carries herself like what she has to offer if cheap. And she resolves to give pieces of herself away recklessly. Low self-confidence and low self-worth are the banner of a Walmart girl.

But a Dolce and Gabanna girl carries herself differently. Self-confidence, humility, autonomy and patience are marks of a D&G girl. Very few men even have the opportunity to shop at such a high-end store. It’s first required of them that they present themselves in the best manner they have to offer. Clean and pure hearted, with a well-cared-for soul. They are flanked by the guard and protection of the Holy Spirit when they draw near to her. She knows she is so valuable in God’s sight that she’s worthy of being carefully looked after. She’s wise to guard her heart, for it’s the wellspring of life. And because of that, only the spiritually rich are able to afford a one-of-a-kind Dolce and Gabanna girl. She is so incredibly valuable that only a man who has invested time and hard work into himself, and learned surrender and stewardship in his walk with Christ, has the permission to pursue her heart.

Do you carry yourself as though you’re a Dolce and Gabanna girl?

This isn’t meant to be a materialistic teaching. I’m not saying you need to go out and buy designer things. But what I am saying is that you were designed by a King. And your body, heart, and dignity are worth valuing accordingly.

You are seen. You are known. You are purposed. You are loved.

What if we began carrying ourselves like we actually knew that to be true?

Mo Isom

This is a modified excerpt from Sex, Jesus, and the Conversations the Church Forgot. Mo Isom is a nation-wide speaker and the New York Times bestselling author of Wreck My Life, as well. She facilitates a popular faith-centered blog at moisom.com, is a wife to Jeremiah, and a mother to two girls, Auden and Asher. You can follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.