I was instantly transported back to my own painful middle-school days when I never fit in, wasn’t pretty enough, didn’t say and do the “right” things. Lord, how can I teach her to navigate these turbulent, confidence-killing waters?

“Katie, you have to understand what you mean to Jesus. You have to find your worth in Him,” I said.

“But what does that mean?” she asked.

“That means what Jesus says about you is true. The Bible says that you are loved with an eternal love, bought with a high price, and you’re valuable. He knows what you’re all about because you belong to Him and He has handcrafted you for something special. Satan and the world will always try to tell you that you’re not enough.”

“But they all think I’m a nerd because I’m good at math and I play the clarinet.”

“Sweetie, do you remember when I told you that the president of my high school class called recently to invite me to our class reunion? She was one of the most popular girls in the school. But after she called, I realized I couldn’t remember anything about her. The point is, many of these people you go to school with are only in your life for a short time. Don’t put too much importance on what they say about you. Instead, remember that you are worth much to God.”

God knows all about us: our strengths, weaknesses, talents, doubts, insecurities, capabilities, sins. And yet knowing all that, He died for us and has an important, eternal plan for our lives. We are loved and known by heart, by the Great Heart.