What’s Yours?
Recently, my son, Travis, found a fifty-dollar bill on a job site. When he got to looking at it, he noticed that the back side of the bill was extremely crooked, so much so that the border on one end of the bill was probably a ¼ inch higher than the other end. When he showed it to his wife, Emily, she was super happy and started dreaming of ways to spend it, until he told her he was going to try to sell it. He knew that collectors might enjoy such an obvious misprinted bill, but Emily didn’t think so, all she could see was they had $50 of free money, let’s spend it. She told Travis she’d take it all back if he was actually able to sell it. Long story short, he sold it for just under $200 and she had to eat crow.
Why would anyone pay $200 for a $50 bill? Because there is a lot of value in money, bills and coins, that are rare, either in their age or level of defectiveness. The government usually culls coins or bills that aren’t minted properly, but obviously some make it though the cracks. So, if we can find value in an old coin or a defective $50 bill, why can’t we find worth in ourselves, when we’re beating ourselves up for something we can’t do or attempts at which we’ve tried and failed.
We all have disabilities or defects; some are just more visible than others. For instance, there is a lady that works at my vet’s office whose one arm is shorter than the other and she only has 3 or 4 fingers on that arm’s malformed hand. She was probably born that way, but she has overcome it and found a way to make her defect work for her. My daughter is hearing impaired and see endured ridicule all during her school years because of her speech; ridicule that came in the form of snickering or avoidance. However, she has always been secure in who she is, just the way she is.
We have to stop seeing ourselves as the world sees us, and start seeing ourselves the way God sees us. He puts a very high value on each and every one of us, even those who we think don’t deserve as much. All you have to do is look to scripture to read it for yourself. Psalm 139 tells us that God knows our every move and every thought, and yet He still loves us, otherwise He wouldn’t have sent His Son to die for us. (Romans 5:8) He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7) because He thought of you before creation (Ephesians 1:4) and He knit you together in your mother’s womb. (Psalm 139)
Just like the buyer willing to pay above market value for that $50 bill, Jesus paid a VERY high price for you. No matter your perceived defects or failures, you ARE highly valuable in your Father’s eyes.