*MY EARLY MORNING LESSON* TOPIC: *YOUR VALUE ISN'T DEFINED BY SOMEONE ELSE'S VISION...* Your value is not up for debate. Your worth is not a democracy. It is not determined by the opinions of those who failed to see the gold in your dust, the light in your darkness, or the greatness hidden behind your silence. You are not less because they overlooked you. You are not empty because they passed you by. Your value is eternal because it was authored by the hands of God, not man. Some people are spiritually nearsighted, they can only recognize value when it’s loud, visible, and wearing a crown. But I want you to know that diamonds are hidden deep within the earth. Gold must be refined through fire. Pearls are found in secret places. If they cannot see your worth, that’s their blindness, not your brokenness. Stop shrinking to fit their small lens. Stop apologizing for your God-given identity. You are not arrogant for knowing who you are. You are not rebellious for refusing to be placed inside someone else's box. The same God who created the stars also breathed greatness into your lungs. That is your origin. That is your evidence. Let them underestimate you. Let them mislabel you. Even Jesus was called a carpenter’s son and mocked by those who couldn’t see past His humble beginnings. But His worth was never tied to their whispers. He didn’t need their validation to fulfill His mission, and neither do you. Know your value. That’s where it starts. Be so rooted in your worth that rejection doesn’t shake you, that failure doesn’t define you, and that betrayal doesn’t break you. A lion doesn’t lose sleep over the opinion of sheep. And a king doesn’t argue with a passerby about his crown. Own your value. Walk in it boldly. Let your confidence speak even when your mouth is silent. Don’t let people rent space in your mind with words that tear you down. Don’t hand them the pen and allow them to rewrite your story. This is your life. This is your journey. Walk it with your head high and your spirit unshaken. Protect your value. Some people will try to exploit it, manipulate it, or belittle it simply because they feel threatened by it. Not everyone who smiles is your friend. Not everyone who claps is applauding. Some are waiting for you to fall. That’s why you must protect your peace, guard your heart, and surround yourself with those who see not only your potential but your purpose. There’s a quote that says: “A man who does not value himself cannot value anything or anyone else.” So don’t waste time begging people to love you when they don’t even love themselves. Stop chasing those who walked away, and start embracing the truth that you are enough even when you are alone. See, your value was never in the likes, the applause, or the spotlight. It was never in their approval. Your value was set the day God said, “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” So if the world doesn’t clap, clap for yourself. If the doors don’t open, build your own. If they call you ordinary, remind yourself that God doesn’t do ordinary. You are rare. You are priceless. You are chosen. Know it. Own it. Protect it. And never let someone’s lack of vision redefine the masterpiece that you are. Your servant, _@ Fr. Albert Nwosu (Nwachinemere)_