Placing a value on something is never easy. What is the value of a used, pre-owned, car? How do you assess the value after somebody destroys or severely damages something of value, especially if there are not many like it? Can you put a price on the value of a person's feelings and emotions? Even something as simple as what a dinner is worth falls into the fuzzy area of how much another thinks it is.
People assign values every day by our actions in response to hurt, pain, and destruction. Judges and the courts assign value in matters of civil and civic disputes. In the midst of all this, we place a value on our self by how we act and the choices we make.
Usually we worry about everyone around us. The question always sits just below the surface. “Why be exploited by those who care nothing for you?” (Proverbs 5.10) The question I often wonder about is why do I consistently let me selfish desires accomplish the same end? Do I realize just how easily I exploit my self?
I continue to find the heart of the answer lying in the source of my personal self-esteem. When I base esteem of anything external, what people think of me, how my accomplishments are greater than others, or things that I achieved, my self value tends to bounce up and down wildly. As I use an internal yardstick, personal accomplishments, disciplines achieved, or status in a family, the outcome is just as unpredictable. There is one exception.
Self-value based coming external to my self from God is steady and unchanging. The key is what God says and does. God said that we were so valuable that he would expose, put at risk, and eventually experience death part of his self so that he could restore each to our original purpose and potential. God delivered and expressed our value in concrete actions. We may not believe we are worth much, but God thinks we are worth everything!
I am living today as one who is priceless.
