by Lay Elder Ken Smith

I wonder if you have ever sat down and really thought about what you are worth? I don’t mean financially, I mean as a human being? If we are honest with ourselves there are times when we can feel unimportant and even a bit worthless. It can happen as the nights draw in that we can feel a bit ‘down’.

A lecturer once began his seminar by holding up a $20 bill in front of a crowd of 200 and asked: “Who would like this $20?” As you might expect all 200 hands went up. He then screwed the money up in his hand and asked “Who still wants it?” and all the hands shot up again. Then he dropped it on the ground, stamped on it and displayed the note crumpled and dirty. He then asked the same question and got the same response. He stared out at his audience and said: “I have just showed you a very important lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it. That was because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $20. Many times in our lives, life crumples us and grinds us into the dirt. We make bad decisions or deal with difficult circumstances. We feel worthless. But no matter what has happened, or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!”

It was quite a moving, motivational talk. However, the Bible tells us much more than the speaker did. It tells us why we are special. We learn that when the world was created we were made in God’s image. As the Psalmist put it: “You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb”. We are also precious to God because of what we cost Him! He sent his son to pay the price of our wrongs. Finally, we learn that by faith we can become the children of God, which means he will adopt us as our father. That shows the true love he has for us.

So as winter begins and the nights grow shorter, if you feel a bit down and uncertain about your worth, remember this good news. Look in a mirror and remind yourself that you were made in the image of God, bought by Him and through faith you are, or can be, adopted by Him. Then tell yourself that you really are valuable to God and that He loves you!

God Bless

Ken