Eight
Published Oct 1, 2021
By Courtney Corrente
We are people. Not numbers.
In a society that places numbers on everything from grades to personal identifications, we can sometimes forget that we are more than just numbers. We are unique individuals who have value, purpose, and feelings.
When I was in eighth grade, I just created my first social media account on Instagram. I had begun following a lot of my volleyball teammates who I had been playing with during that time. Shortly after following a teammate of mine, she had posted an image and captioned it “Like for a rate.” I didn’t know what that meant, so I went and saw what she did for people who had liked her photo and found that she would go to their most recent post and comment a number supposedly on a scale of 1-10 and explain it. I saw that for many of these people, she would put something like “1000 – you are amazing and beautiful!!” or “Definitely a 10 – you are the best!”
So, wanting to get some encouragement from a new teammate, I liked her post and patiently waited for my notification.
What followed surprised me.
“8”
I didn’t make the list of people who surpassed the number 10; I didn’t even make it to 10…I was just an “8.” This hurt, as I started seeing myself as an “8.” I didn’t think of “10” in terms of perfection, but just in terms of someone she liked and wanted to encourage, so when I saw the comment she left, I felt less then and insignificant.
Friend, if someone has placed a number on you, do not let it define you.
No number, word, trend, or any other human construct can define how priceless you are. You are made in the image of God and are fearfully and wonderfully made.
If you ever feel insignificant, just remember that if Jesus had to come into the world as a human being and die on the cross just for you, He would do it.
So no matter what number or names society gives you, just remember who you are whose you are.
