Am I Valued?

Outside, it was a beautiful September morning. Inside the podiatrist’ office, the doctor had just left the exam room I was in. I perched myself on a chair to get my socks and shoes on before rushing off to conquer the day. To get my foot in range, I snatched my left leg (Here, I need to explain. This leg had had a hip replacement years before and, more recently, a hip revision with a large bone graft.) up by the hem of my pants.

Crack!

More obvious than the snap was the pain that shot through my leg. “Oh no!” I wailed. I tried to stand—without success. What had I done?

After waiting most of that day in ER and a chunk of the following day in my orthopedic surgeon’s office, I had a diagnosis. Hip fracture. And a decision to make. Three months no weight bearing or surgery (probably followed by no weight bearing).

Disbelief and discouraged flooded me. How would I do all the things on my ‘to do’ list? How would I do much of anything? What a waste of time, of my life!

Why was this circumstance so difficult for me? It was more than the pain. Even now, why am I always trying to squeeze more out of my hours and minutes? Why do I largely evaluate my day based on how much I accomplish?

The answer may be similar to why the elderly and the infirm struggle with their circumstances. The world rates a person’s value based on dollars and cents, hours and minutes. As a Christ-follower, I should find my worth in how God sees me—a unique, special creation with an eternal purpose. Intellectually I agree with God’s values, but they don’t saturate my soul.

So I end up discontented when my plans are thwarted. Fractured bones, malfunctioning mental abilities, errant emotions, and aging in general result in responses that reveal we have embraced a lie. The lie that we are what we look like, what we accomplish, what position we fill, what we enjoy.

The truth? We are greatly loved, valued, and cherished by a gracious, merciful, all-knowing God no strings attached. Next week I plan to walk us through a refreshing passage that has been infusing me with God’s wisdom on this topic.

Will you join me in embracing the truth by allowing God’s thoughts and ways to sink deep into your mind, your heart, your soul? Allow God’s truth to produce life change as you memorize and meditate on His Word.