Who would have thought that a stray mutt would teach me a powerful lesson about not being ashamed of where I come from and finding my self-worth as a daughter of God?

When I needed to have my wisdom teeth pulled, my neighbor, James, was kind enough to take me to the oral surgeon and drive me home. On the drive home, I was still very much impaired by powerful painkillers. With my inhibitions lowered and James trapped in the car with me, I used this opportunity to force James to discuss my favorite topic of conversation – how awesome my pets are.

“James, I’d like you to go through each one of my pets and tell me what you love most about them,” I said in very slurred speech between the gauze in my mouth and the influence of the oxycodone.

James kindly indulged me: “Hmm… well Scheyer-pup is so special – he always gets so excited when he sees me. And little Nolan – she’s Scheyer’s little sidekick. She follows him around wherever he goes…” He paused and thought about Britney. “What I like the most about Britney is even though she’s from the streets, she never lost her dignity. She must have been through a lot of things but she never lost her dignity.” Thinking about his responses now makes me laugh, but at the time I was listening intently to his responses about my pride and joy.

Even though James’ comments were a bit tongue-in-cheek, there was wisdom and truth in his comment regarding Britney. I found Britney in one of the poorest, most violent areas of the city I live in. She was shot ten times with a bb gun and the pellets remain in her body to this day. At about 1.5 years old, she had already given birth to a little of puppies. Her paw pads indicated that she was on the streets for a while and I’m sure she survived by eating trash and whatever else she could fine.   Britney had multiple ailments including heartworms when I found her. One of the partners I worked with summed it up when he said, after hearing about all of her issues, that I should have named her “Lemon.”

Although Britney suffered from some emotional issues due to the abuse she suffered, unworthiness never seemed to be one of them. She fit right into my family and from day one she acted like she was entitled to the same treatment as the two pets I already had at the time – Scheyer and Nolan.   She wanted to cuddle up next to me on the couch, sleep in the bed with me and the other pets and expected food and treats like my other animals. Unlike Scheyer who politely waits for me to notice his pleading eyes begging me to take him out or feed him, Britney has never been afraid to tell me what she wanted through a series of rumbles some people confuse as a growl. Britney also helps herself to any food accidentally spilled on the floor or left on the counter. And while I’ve had to work with Britney to be more patient and not steal food, I couldn’t help but marvel at this dog who demanded to be treated like a treasure after where she had come from.   The first Halloween I celebrated with Britney, I took her to Petsmart and picked out a pink princess outfit for her to wear. When I showed the costumes to two friends, Alexis commented, “This outfit is very fitting because Britney is a princess and she knows it.”

Most of my life I’ve struggled with feeling inferior because of where I grew up and how much money my parents made. Like Britney, I did not come from the best neighborhood. Once, I explained to my teacher where I lived and he patted me on the shoulder and said, “Well sweetie, you just do the best you can.” Another time my friend’s mom drove me home and her little brother, gazing at the run down trailers that comprised my neighborhood, exclaimed, “This is where you live?!?” That was the last time I ever asked a friend’s parent to take me home.

I worked very hard in school and against the odds I got into a prestigious law school. I thought that finally I would shake off the feeling of inferiority. My classmates at Duke were some of the most kind, amazing people I’ve ever met; yet, when I would hear about their live-in maids and vacations to Europe and drive my beat up ’92 Oldsmobile into a parking lot full of shiny, new reliable cars, I felt that same sting of not being good enough.  Also, everyone’s parents seemed to be so much more educated and well connected than mine. One day my Torts professor asked how many of the students had a parent who was a doctor or a lawyer – it seemed like seventy five percent of the students’ hands went up.  My parents worked hard in their blue collar jobs but did not have the connections that come from being in a high-powered career.

Finally, when I got a job at a large law firm making the same salary as my classmates who also went into corporate law, I knew that I would finally leave the label of being “trailer trash” behind. In my first weeks at the firm I was assigned to a document review for litigation and the other attorneys on the case and I were working together in a large conference room. A senior associate and the partner (who are no longer at the firm) started discussing society’s problems and decided that if people who were poor, uneducated or have been in jail were not allowed to have children, soon we would be living in a utopian society. The senior associate said, “If you did not graduate from high school and preferably college, you should not be allowed to have children.” My father had to quit school in the fifth grade to work on the family farm, so by my colleague’s assessment I should not exist. Great.

The truth is as long as I continued to buy into society’s lie that people who do not have as much means, education or live in a nice house are not worthy of dignity and respect, I would never shake the feelings of inferiority that haunted me my entire life. No amount of money or accomplishments could erase where I came from or who my parents were. I don’t use the term “society’s lie” lightly – the notion that the poor and uneducated are not worthy of respect contradicts everything that Jesus Christ stood for. My parents both had hard lives and they deserve admiration for what they accomplished under difficult circumstances. God used Britney to show me that where I come from should not impact my dignity – my worthiness, just like everyone else’s worthiness, comes from the fact that I am a child of God created in his image. It took me years to realize what my little mutt knew instinctively, “No one is better than you. You are everyone’s equal, and everyone is equal to you.” (Vice President Joe Biden).

One of my ex-boyfriends would get annoyed with what he called Britney’s “demanding” personality, stating that she should have a more humble, grateful attitude given where she comes from. I know by the way Britney gazes at me lovingly, follows me everywhere I go, and barks ferociously at any perceived threat that she is grateful for me saving her. But I’m glad that Britney does not walk around with her head down, feeling timid and inferior. Her confidence inspires me to hold my head high, as a daughter of the most-high God should.

Maybe you don’t struggle with feeling inferior because of economic background but there are several ways our culture makes us feel like we are not good enough – body image, how we handle our emotions, job title and whether we are “popular” are just a few examples. Whatever lie society is feeding to you – be like Britney and refuse to lose your dignity.