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I suppose there are days when many of us would answer, "Not much." We don't feel up to the challenges of life or we give up when situations don't turn out the way we planned. It can leave you feeling worthless.
I struggled with that issue when my daughter left for college last year. In my eyes, my value was intertwined with my role as mom. This "job" was the most satisfying, the most fulfilling task I had ever undertaken. My children have turned into wonderful people. I love being with them.
Who am I once they are both out of the house?
My husband is wrestling with this concept now. After 21 years, his company eliminated his position -- and most of his department -- and he finds himself job-hunting in the worst economy in nearly a century. He always said his job was not his life; he enjoyed aspects of his work, but it was not the most important thing to him. But now that it's gone, he is left wondering, "Do I have any value?"
I wonder if some of the men and women of the Bible who were commended for their faith in the book of Hebrews faced such questions. Surely Sarah contemplated her worth when she and Abraham were looking at 100 and still had no children. She was not a mother; who was she?
From the depths of the pit into which his brothers had tossed him, Joseph must have doubted his worth. Sold for a few shekels to some passing Egyptians, Joseph knew the value of slaves. They could be replaced. Easily.
Rahab the prostitute knew the price men paid for her services; was that the extent of her value? When Joshua and the Israelite spies showed up on her doorstep, did she hesitate to ask them for protection from God's impending wrath? How dare she?
But of course, Sarah, Joseph and Rahab took their places in Christian history as part of the lineage of the Messiah. They proved invaluable to God's grand plan. So where do we fit into his final chapters?
Scripture tells us that our value was stamped on our heart before we were ever born. God deemed us so valuable that he was not willing to lose a single one of us. How much would it cost to redeem us from the chains of sin?
One Lamb. Pure and spotless, without blemish. The ultimate sacrifice who would take away the sins of the world. Only Jesus could stand in our place and take the punishment that we deserve.
The Bible says some people might be willing to die for a good person, but few would lay down their lives for someone who was not worthy of such a great sacrifice. Jesus covered both, and everyone in between. What a high price to pay -- for a barren woman, a Jewish slave boy, a prostitute, an out-of-work father, even me.
