Self-Worth Part 1
January 25, 2026
Self-Worth Part 1
You are invited to share in this week’s series of Daily Reflections on “Self-Worth.”
Some people get private tours of the Vatican. The rest of us wonder: does that make them more valuable than we are? “The worth of our self … what is that, and how can it be determined?”
I recently heard about someone who was invited to meet Pope Leo and receive a personal tour of the Vatican and the papal apartments. They and their family met the gracious Pope for a private audience. Wow. What an extraordinary privilege to meet the Pope and to be guided through the ancient, spiritually rich center of Christianity.
For most of us, such a revered invitation will likely never happen. Visits like these seem reserved for saints, church leaders, heads of state, and the rich and famous. Are they worth more than you or me? The exclusivity of such an invitation certainly implies that they are.
Pecking orders, social registries, the people perched high on the totem poles of life: are they truly worth more than we are? And what does it say about our own sense of worth if we think we don’t measure up? It all depends on how we look at our lives. If we determine our value by comparing ourselves to those who are acclaimed, powerful, wealthy, or famous, most of us will come up short.
There are two main ways we measure self-worth.
The first is the ego’s way. An unchecked ego finds comfort in proving its worth. It strives, strategizes, competes, and pushes to feel good about its place in the world. It may marshal all its strength to get what it wants. On the other hand, it may even hide or ignore deep issues of self-esteem altogether. The ego’s focus on self-worth is self-absorption and possibly inflation. Often the ego derives its self-worth from what it thinks others feel about them.
The second way is the soul’s way. The soul measures our worth, but not as the ego does. The soul’s priority is to fulfill its purpose and to grow in its relationship with the Divine. When we are not living our purpose, the soul knows it, and this naturally affects how we feel about ourselves on the soul level. For the soul, “loving ourselves” is measured by how well we care for our souls. And not only that, but also by how well we love others. Remember, the soul is tethered to the Divine, and it never doubts that God loves us. But our self-worth is also determined by how our soul views us. If we can see ourselves through the eyes of the Divine, we know our pricelessness.
This week, we will reflect more deeply on how we truly feel about ourselves.
Spiritual practice and Self-inquiry: How do you determine your self-worth?
Prayer:
Dear God, Please help me see myself more accurately, through the eyes with which You see me, the eyes of unconditional love. Amen.
