Value
I've heard a great story a few times about two $20 bills. Here is my version of it.
Once there were two twenty dollar bills. One was crisp, clean and new. It had been freshly minted and recently sent to a bank in a stack of other new bills. A local wealthy man came in and asked for a brand new $20 bill to put in a card for his grandson's birthday. Reaching for the stack, the teller removed the fresh, new bill and handed it to the man. It was crisp and clean - and sure to widen the eyes of his young grandson when presented that afternoon at his birthday celebration.
The other bill had not fared so well. It had been used many times, crumpled, and stuck in so many pockets it had lost track a long time ago. Dirty hands had touched it. More than one phone number had been written on it. It had often been used for illicit activity. Corners were missing; the print was faded, and deep creases marred its surface. It looked as if it were no longer good for anything except to be thrown out.
But the reality is, beyond the appearance, past uses, location, or condition of these bills, their worth is exactly the same. They are both still worth $20. They both have the same buying power and standing as financial instruments for transactions in our country. No matter where they've been or where they're going, they are both still worth $20.
I heard this story on a Christian radio station a few years ago, and I remember feeling that day that this message was just what I needed. Sometimes our life circumstances are such that we come away wondering if what happened to us happened because we weren't worth more or weren't worth being treated better.
But then again, maybe not. Maybe those who hurt us had been broken and had not found the healing that could set them free - free to become all that God meant them to be. Maybe they had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and misused - like the dollar bill. Maybe life had dealt them some tough blows; maybe they had even experienced mistreatment and evil at the hands of another as well.
It's hard to say. But the reality is, that no matter what has happened in your life; where you've been or what you've been through, God still sees you as valuable - worth more than gold. He loves us with an undying love that doesn't change because of our circumstances or what we've experienced.
How can we know? Just look at the cross... He did that for you because He loves you, and you are worth Him giving His life for you.
Here's a link to a song by Tenth Avenue North called "You Are More" that hits the mark. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA
Blessings.
Once there were two twenty dollar bills. One was crisp, clean and new. It had been freshly minted and recently sent to a bank in a stack of other new bills. A local wealthy man came in and asked for a brand new $20 bill to put in a card for his grandson's birthday. Reaching for the stack, the teller removed the fresh, new bill and handed it to the man. It was crisp and clean - and sure to widen the eyes of his young grandson when presented that afternoon at his birthday celebration.
The other bill had not fared so well. It had been used many times, crumpled, and stuck in so many pockets it had lost track a long time ago. Dirty hands had touched it. More than one phone number had been written on it. It had often been used for illicit activity. Corners were missing; the print was faded, and deep creases marred its surface. It looked as if it were no longer good for anything except to be thrown out.
But the reality is, beyond the appearance, past uses, location, or condition of these bills, their worth is exactly the same. They are both still worth $20. They both have the same buying power and standing as financial instruments for transactions in our country. No matter where they've been or where they're going, they are both still worth $20.
I heard this story on a Christian radio station a few years ago, and I remember feeling that day that this message was just what I needed. Sometimes our life circumstances are such that we come away wondering if what happened to us happened because we weren't worth more or weren't worth being treated better.
But then again, maybe not. Maybe those who hurt us had been broken and had not found the healing that could set them free - free to become all that God meant them to be. Maybe they had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time and misused - like the dollar bill. Maybe life had dealt them some tough blows; maybe they had even experienced mistreatment and evil at the hands of another as well.
It's hard to say. But the reality is, that no matter what has happened in your life; where you've been or what you've been through, God still sees you as valuable - worth more than gold. He loves us with an undying love that doesn't change because of our circumstances or what we've experienced.
How can we know? Just look at the cross... He did that for you because He loves you, and you are worth Him giving His life for you.
Here's a link to a song by Tenth Avenue North called "You Are More" that hits the mark. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwtcwQwgdsA
Blessings.
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