invalid

Did you ever notice that invalid--"one who is sickly or disabled" and invalid--"not valid" are the same word.

I've become aware of it since having this back problem. I am far from being bedfast, but I am very limited in my activities and abilities. And you know, I'm really struggling with feelings of worthlessness.

I've blogged before on worth and where we get it. Everything from how big our house is to how big of a burger we can eat can be the standard we use to measure our value.

Job, position, wealth, the kind of car we drive, abilities, accolades, how clean our house is, education, letters behind our name... the list goes on, doesn't it?

Now, because I can't load the dishwasher without hurting myself I find I'm feeling invalid. We'll be moving in a couple of months and I can do nothing to help. It's frustrating and I feel the guilt and shame piling up.

It's all lies from the devil of course. God doesn't measure my value by any of these things. And even though I feel guilty because my family is having to take up the slack, I know they don't measure my value by these things either.

Lessons I am learning now can be remembered when I encounter others in a similar situation. Feeling like a contributor is important, but even more important is coming to understand the real source of our value. I'm working on that.

What about you? Have you experienced a time when you felt worthless? Want to share your story?