My excited Kindergartener ran into the house after school to share with me all he had learned that day about U.S. currencies! Zachary ran to my coin dish and carefully sifted through everything and methodically placed them in order of value. He talked about what they each were and told me their ‘value’. I was reminded by Zach that a penny was equal to 1 cent , a nickel was equal to 5 cents, etc…… Zachary then paused thoughtfully and said, “The teacher told us that there were larger coins but she didn’t have them with her. I think they are a half dollar and a dollar.” I told Zachary that by chance at the grocery store today the cashier gave me a half dollar if he wanted to get it out of my purse he can look at it! He raced into the bedroom to look in my purse for the money. After being gone for a time, I called to him, “Zach, did you find it?” He promptly returned to the kitchen table to show me what he ‘found’! Yes, you guessed it….. a torn dollar bill which he said was a half of a dollar! I chuckled and told him he was indeed correct about that, but I questioned him and asked him where in my purse he found that? He said, “Mom, it was in your wallet but I only needed a half of it, not the whole thing!”
I could have taped the pieces back together again, but to me there was more value in the half than in the whole. I carried that ‘half dollar’ in my wallet for years! It reminded me that value isn’t always found in the perfect completeness of the object you possessed but instead by how you view the object. I am sure appraisers would argue with that logic as their job is to place an accepted value on items without taking into consideration sentimental value of the object. That torn dollar meant more to me than the ‘appraised’ value, which had decreased since it was torn in half.
We have a God that values us based on His love and sentimentality towards us. He doesn’t value us as the world does or doesn’t. He sees beyond those barriers and façades. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV) says; ‘The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Often times God’s value of each of us is far greater than the value we place on ourselves or by that of society . We are always our biggest critics. God loves us always and completely….can you say that about yourself consistently? Chances are, “No”.
A verse comes to mind from Ephesians 1:4-5 (NIV) that tells us, ‘For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love he predestined us to adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will-‘. Wow, did you catch that? God thought of us and planned for us before the world was created by Him! Before there was an earth, solar system or anything else….You were thought about and planned by the Creator of the Universe! That is pretty amazing! God values you more than anything he has created. God planned your beginning and holds you through all of your days.
What does God require for this extravagant love? You are saying, “Yeah, I knew there must be a catch to this.” Well, you are right…..In return for this unending love from God, he simply wants us to to love Him in return and live accordingly. His greatest commandment is that we love others as He has loved us. God’s propitiation for sin was sacrifice. If you are familiar with the Bible’s old testament you read about the many animal sacrifices made on behalf for man’s failings and sinful nature. God, at the appointed time sent His one and only son, Jesus Christ, into the world to be the final and ultimate sacrifice for our sins. God allowed His own son to be sacrificed on our behalf so we are no longer under the laws of sacrifice. John 3:16 (NIV) ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ Our requirement is simple, to believe that Jesus Christ was crucified in our place, believe that he was buried and rose to life again. We only need to believe and receive Him into our hearts and love God above all else. That’s a pretty easy transaction on our part. Jesus took our sins and in return God gives us eternal life by simply accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
So, how does this relate to my son and the torn dollar bill? The dollar bill yet torn and sullied was treasured by me because of the sentiments that went behind the action. God looks upon our short comings, failings, imperfections and sins and still LOVES us. I think we would each find it impossible to sacrifice our own children for the failings of others, but that is exactly what God did. Your value is without measure to Him.
By the way, ‘Yes’….. I still have the half of a dollar in my possession even after 16 years! It also is valued more sentimentally by me than any appraiser could place a value on it!
Encouragement for the Sojourner 