Valued

Have you ever felt worthless? I know this may seem like a harsh question, but one to seriously ask yourself. Have you ever wondered why you are alive and what your purpose is here on earth? Maybe it's not so much that you feel worthless, but more you feel forgotten by God. Have you had visions for your life that have yet to come to fruition? Are there circumstances in your life that, to be honest, make you angry at God? I have some areas that at time I feel I have to "remind" God of my situation. Maybe I'm the only one who has these moments. When I'm wronged or judged unfairly I say "God, did you SEE that?" As if He didn't. When there is a material need I ask Him "God, you see the bank account, RIGHT?" When things don't work out the way I thought they would, I tend to turn into a pouting two year old. There, I admitted it. Sometimes I find this thing called spiritual "maturity" goes right out the window. I'm sure it's only me that feels this way. Surely nobody else ever has.

And just when I start to feel this way, I come across this verse:

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:6-7

Apparently I'm not so special in my feelings. If such a verse exists in scripture, then it must be because at least ONE other person in the course of history has felt this same way. I love the phrase "fear not" that appears here. How quick we are to allow fear to creep into our minds and affect our lives. I would dare to say many, if not most, of our decisions (or indecisions) in life stem from our fears. We fear what people will say. We fear what people will think. We fear failure. We fear stepping out because of the judgment that could come from others. What I've found in my experience is the people who care about me will always ask me for clarification on things they see happening in my life. True friendship and love comes without judgment.

Every life on this planet is worth more than five sparrows. Not just ONE sparrow, but five. And even more. We need to remember this not only when thinking of ourselves, but also when thinking of others. The drug dealer, the prostitute, the drug addict, the homeless person on the corner are ALL worth so much more than the sparrows! God values them too! What stops you from showing them love? Are we back to fear again?

My prayer for each of you today is to know how truly valued you are by God. It's only once we begin to appreciate our own value that we can extend that love, grace,and mercy to others.  You see, coming to value yourself is only the first step to experience God's love. We feel it most when we offer it to others.