Since you are precious to me, you are honored and I love you. Isaiah 43:4 (GW)
Years ago, I watched a show that featured people who brought in old stuff to have it appraised by experts. Naturally everyone hoped to hear exciting news about their vase, painting, article of furniture, or whatever. Many people left disappointed, but some were shocked to learn that their object was a valuable antique. For a while I attended garage sales and flea markets with one persistent thought: what if I discovered a valuable treasure among someone’s discarded junk?
Sad to say, I occasionally witness someone looking at a person as though he or she is discarded junk with little value. That unkempt man holding a cardboard sign by the highway. The woman with dementia mumbling to herself in the park. The special-needs child causing a disturbance in a store. In those moments, I remind myself that God is the True Appraiser, the One who determines our value.
No matter who we are, Jesus demonstrated our worth a couple thousand years ago when He died on the cross. The ransom paid for our sins was not “mere gold or silver,” but “the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God” (1 Peter 1:18–19, NLT). The forgiveness, love, and grace that flows through Jesus is available to all of us regardless of how our culture might “rank” us. I like to imagine how our society would change if we all treated each other as someone cherished and treasured by Him. And on those days when I look in the mirror and feel like an antique, I need to remember how Jesus has appraised me.
Faith Step: Meditate on one of the verses on this page or another one of your choosing to remind yourself how valuable you are in light of Christ’s sacrifice.
