“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1, NLT).

Through much of my life, I have faced insecurity, the temptation to be overly concerned with what others think about me. It was there during times of getting picked on by older kids. Even in times when I had some success, I was still motivated by wanting to make everyone else happy.

Things began to change when I started to get to know God better. I learned about passages like the one above, in which God promises that those who belong to Him do no have to worry. As I learned of how God thinks of me, I realized that I did not have to be so obsessed about what everyone else thought. This freed me to discover who He made me to be, rather than what I thought everyone else wanted me to be.

As I did this, I discovered strengths I never knew I had. I realized that I could play music that people enjoyed to hear, and that I could have an impact on other people’s lives. The more I discovered how He made me, the more I was able to embrace how He made me, and strive to glorify Him through those gifts.

So what does this mean for anyone else’s life? It is this: you don’t have to spend your life impressing anyone else but the One who made you. He made you a certain way, and He gave you certain skills and abilities to use for Him.

For some of you, that may mean that you can be free from the pressure of being like the “popular” kids. For others, you can be yourself instead of acting tough. Even others may be lonely, and you can take courage by knowing that God says you are important even when nobody else does.

Whatever your situation, whether you are already secure, or whether you struggle, let us rejoice in who God has made us to be. We can find our importance from Him who died for us; we don’t have to let anyone else tell us how we can be important. This week, remember God’s words: you belong to Him.