Think of the sweetest baby – beautiful white, black, tan, yellow, brown skin. Pure and innocent. That was you when you were born.

And to touch you was a privilege. Your head had to be held just the right way. You had to be wrapped carefully, minding your delicate fingers, your tiny toes. Looking in your eyes was a holy moment because you were new, you were created, you were special.

And none of that has changed.

To touch you is a privilege.

For someone to hold your head in their hands, caressing your hair is an honor.

For someone to wrap you in their arms is a blessing.

They should carefully mind your delicate hands, knowing it is a beautiful gift to lace their fingers through yours.

Looking in your eyes and brushing lips against lips is a holy moment because you are created, you are special.

We forget that.

In the hospital, you were wrapped, bundled, swaddled, kept warm. There was a thick pane separating all the grown up people from you and all the other new ones. You were precious cargo contained within that room, a cacophony of cries erupting – but muted, almost silent – to those watching from behind the glass.

A big person cannot just jump into that room and hold you – or any baby – they like. They must earn the right to cuddle those babies. The nurses have earned college degrees to know just how to nourish and care for newborns. There is protocol – very important rules that must be followed when touching, holding, and caring for these precious new ones.

Nothing has changed about your worth since the day you were treasured in that special room.

Nothing except you.

You might see yourself differently, but you are no different.

You are precious cargo, and people who love you should learn you, know you, earn the right to your secrets, your heart, your trust. There is a protocol to being close to someone else, loving unconditionally, being given your heart.

You are that special.

When your mama, your daddy, a nurse, or anyone else held you for the first time, they were learning you. How you liked to eat, what your cries meant, when you would sleep. They supported you gently, with softness and curious eyes. They wanted to know more about you and how you worked.

You deserve that kind of intentional care. Just because you are no longer newborn doesn’t mean someone can throw your heart in a toy box to play with later.

Your friends, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, your wife, your husband, all the people who are part of your world, whether they know it or not,

you deserve to be learned.

And you should learn them in return. Your hurts, your habits, your hobbies, your heart – you are worth the time to be learned.

The ones worth your time will want to know more about you and how you work.

You being here is a miracle. A priceless act of love. See yourself in the millions mirror, knowing millions can’t even touch the surface of your ultimate worth.

There are no words, no metaphors, no stories that can adequately express the gem, the star, the prize, the pearl that encompasses YOU.

But if we remember that baby, that created, sweet, scent of heaven birthed out of a miracle, it’s much harder to see ourselves as trash, worthless, rotten, forgotten, and overlooked.

It causes us to hesitate just a bit and pause to consider the magnitude of who we are, Whose we are, where we are going, what we are doing, who might be affected.

To understand that in all our relationships we shouldn’t just grab and run with what we want, we should trust slowly. Because we are worth the “slowly,” and so are others.

So wait patiently.

It’s just a thought.

Anything worth having is worth waiting for.

Think of the sweetest baby – beautiful white, black, tan, yellow, brown skin. Pure and innocent. That was you when you were born.

And that is you, now.

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Thank you so much for reading my blog and letting me share my heart with you! Please sign up to receive my blog posts directly to your e-mail inbox – and I will continue to share more of my heart with you about once a week!

You are precious! Check out my post about why you don’t need a girlfriend or boyfriend in high school – or the open letter I wrote my daughter on her 10th birthday. They are both about how WORTH LOVE you are!