What Are You Worth?

We live in a society where the value of things are skewed. The things that society and culture value, at the end of the day, actually have no value at all. It makes me wonder: what gives something value? Rarity comes to mind. Gold and silver have value because they are rare and precious metals. If they were found on every street corner the value would go down. Well, Starbucks is found on every street corner, and yet a $5 grande light ice soy carmel macchiato still seems to have high value in our culture… why is that? Rarity might make something valuable, but so does desire. The more people desire something, the more valuable it is- right? That may be the case with over priced Starbucks coffee but it doesn’t apply to everything. We live in a very good world in a creation full of beauty and wonder hand-crafted by an almighty and sovereign God, but if the value of a thing lies with the value we as humans put on it, we will never value the right things. We might live in a very good creation, and we as humans may have even been made in the image of that same almighty and sovereign God who created the whole creation we reside in, but there is more to the story. We are messed up and broken, just like the world around us, which means, if left up to our own devices, the things we as a people group value are never going to be the things God values. What’s the main difference between a chunk of gold and a grande carmel macchiato? One has intrinsic value. It wouldn’t matter if the whole universe used bricks of gold as paper weights, it would still hold extremely high value. What about the value of an individual? Culture certainly holds different values for different people, and a lot of it has to do with what individuals can contribute to society. Mark Zuckerberg, according to our culture, has more value than a homeless person.  Monetarily yes, Mark Zuckerberg is “worth more” than that homeless person, but how does that effect their value- their intrinsic value?

Whether or not any individual on the whole entire planet finds you valuable, it doesn’t matter because our value is found in Christ alone. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” you say, “but it is not as easy to believe when you’ve been rejected or hurt or ignored.” I would wholeheartedly agree, but what I’ve learned recently is that how I feel about something doesn't necessarily (if ever) reflect the reality of the situation. Just like that brick of gold, you have intrinsic value.  You are rare, you are wanted, you sought after, by the only “Miner” that could possibly ever matter. What gives Picasso’s paintings value? They are made by Picasso, within the abstractness of his art is himself, the artist, the creator, and because of that ANY work by him has great and unchangeable value. My friend, don’t you see? The same is true of you! You are not valuable because of your social status, your bank account, your size, your accomplishments, your friends, your influence… you are valuable because you were CREATED BY THE GOD OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. He is the greatest Artist and His works are priceless. Why? Because we were made in the Artist’s image, His likeness. He infused Himself in us and therefore we are of higher value than anything else in creation. Unlike that grande light iced soy carmel macchiato, we are not of value because everyone wants us- we are more precious that gold or silver or any other precious stone or metal- even if some days all we feel like is a paper weight. Do you believe that? Do you believe that even if no other person in all of creation found you to be of value, that your intrinsic worth would remain intact because you were handcrafted by the almighty and sovereign God of the universe? Step into that truth, because if you allow that to go down deep into your heart, it can change the way you see yourself and those around you. I pray that you, whether you feel it or not, believe that you are of highest value because you were created in the likeness of the Creator.