Validation from the Inside.

When I was a kid I used to throw rocks on the ground to see if the inside had cool colors and crystals. Even if it looked like a regular rock on the outside, me seeing what's on the inside didn't change the value of it. I just discovered it, but it was always valuable.

We can call something valuable, and that's nice. But it might already be valuable no matter what we say or do.

This is the same with you.

Vindication and validation from the outside (other people and circumstances) is cool and feels good but should only be secondary to what you already know about yourself. There are so many things God has placed on the inside of you, there should be a validation from the inside, from God.

Why is this important? Yes, there will be many times when only someone or something from the outside can move you even further into your destiny but if we always wait on just that and never value ourselves or take initiative, we will always be waiting on someone or something to tell us who we are. This causes a loss of identity, low self-esteem and emotions that move in and out like waves of the ocean depending on how someone else views us or what circumstance is happening in our life.

You are who you are and you are valuable. You are not your next opportunity. Your next opportunity is a result of who you already are. People come, some go. People will like you, people will dislike you. If you rely on the opinions of people, you will feel like the waves of the ocean. If you rely on what your occupation is in life or the grades you get, you feel like the waves of the ocean. Back and forth. If you rely on material things, your validation is only as good as those things hold up or keep you interested.

God never changes and that's why our validation should be from the inside. People building other people up is very important, goals in life are excellent, and rewards, acknowledgement and material things are cool but should only be added bonuses. That way you will stand strong and move forward no matter what happens in your life.