I step on my scale, practically naked and definitely afraid. It isn’t the scale’s fault. It has no choice but to reveal that I haven’t been making the best food choices lately. If the number is low, I can breathe a sigh of relief. But if the number is high, feelings of discouragement and despair will wash over me, making me feel somehow less worthy as a woman.

How does this flat metal contraption hold such power over how I feel about myself?

Thanks to genetics, being thin came naturally to me for years. I was born into a family of thin people and I could seemingly eat whatever I wanted and maintain my size and shape. But over the years, the pounds slowly added on one by one. And as my body grew larger, my disappointment in myself grew as well. My identity became that of a woman who could stand to lose a few pounds.

To be fair, the scale doesn’t lie. But it also doesn’t tell the whole truth about me. This measurement of me in pounds has little to do with how God sees me. I was recently reminded of this truth during my morning devotions in 1 Samuel 16:7, which says that“the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

In today’s culture, it is not uncommon to rate ourselves on how we think others see us. But our real identity is in the God who formed us, who knows every hair on our heads and every pound on our body–and who loves us just the same. If you are struggling with negative feelings of self worth for any reason today, read through these verses with me to remember what God says about your worth in him:

1. Romans 5:8: But God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!
2. Zephaniah 3:17: The Lord your God is with you; his power gives you victory. The Lord will delight in you, and in his love he will give you new life. He will sing and be joyful over you.
3. Psalm 139:13-14: You created every part of me; you put me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because you are to be feared; all you do is strange and wonderful. I know it with all my heart.
4. Luke 12:6-7: Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one sparrow is forgotten by God. Even the hairs on your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!