I had made it my mission one recent Saturday to be an encouragement to others. In the dairy aisle, I encouraged the new mom with the baby strapped to her chest. As I walked down the specialty diet aisle, I encouraged a middle-aged woman who was newly diagnosed with celiac disease, a condition I share. While in the checkout line, I encouraged a young up-and-coming employee named Willie, whom I could help elect president one day.

The cashier, a lady named Dee Dee, looked meekly in Willie’s direction as he walked away. “He always takes time to say hi to me, even though I’m nobody,” she shared.

I knew the look in her eyes, the look that said she truly believed she was nobody. So I spoke to the lie she embraced—the self-image that denied the image of God we bear— ignoring the line forming behind me.

“You are not a nobody. You are precious in the sight of God. He loved you before the foundations of the world. He knit you together in your mother’s womb and knows even the number of hairs on your head. He gave His only begotten Son so you could have a relationship with Him and spend eternity with Him. Never forget that.”

“I know that,” she said. “I just need to be reminded.”

We all need to be reminded.

Our God loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). He is the lover of our souls and the lifter of our heads (Psalm 3:3). And He is no common lover. He is the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God to whom be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (1 Timothy 1:17).

Knowing who He is makes who we are in Him all the more amazing.

Those who have placed their faith in Jesus’ saving work upon the cross are not just His creation but His precious children (John 1:12) and not just children but also His friends (John 15:15), and not just friends but also co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

We are chosen by God (Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4) and have received heavenly citizenship (Philippians 3:20). We are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), saints (1 Corinthians 1:2), holy and blameless in His sight (Ephesians 1:4). Even when we stumble, we remain sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). We can now boldly approach the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) and know true peace (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:7).

We have been given the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) and are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), serving as His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57) and are more than conquerors through Christ (Romans 8:37).

We are His, and He is ours. Forever.

So no, Dee Dee, you are not a nobody. You have such great value in the eyes of Jesus that He paid the ultimate price for your redemption. It’s time for us to embrace our identity in Christ and see ourselves through His gracious, loving eyes.

You are worth dying for.