Valuable, Way Better than Rich

Seen in a Facebook post from Nicole Roberts … “I may not be rich but I am valuable.”

Do you know people that chase the dollar? I do. In fact, I think we see this tendency all around us … in advertising, in all the gotta-have technological gadgets that surround us, in our work lives, when we listen to people young and old. People playing the lottery. People that demand more money for what they do. People that are upset they don’t make more money, many perhaps ungrateful even though they may have a good job.

I understand that tendency. But as many of us have heard from our parents, there is more to life than money. A lot more. And this quote says it all.

We are all more valuable than we imagine, than we see. We are valuable to ourselves, to our family and friends, to the world. We are valuable no matter what we offer. Our value is inherent to us, unique. And it has nothing to do with our wealth.

At the end, it is how valuable you are that will determine your legacy. Not money or possessions. Not bank accounts or work success. God provides us with that inherent value … it is up to us to share our value with the world, and in that, become even more valuable every day.

Looking Twice

“I was angered, for I had no shoes. Then I met a man who had no feet.” … Chinese Proverb.

When we look at situations, too often we may jump to the wrong conclusions, because it takes time and space to truly identify the “value” of an experience, of a turn in your life, of a road you never expected to take. Looking at a situation from a single vantage point is always dangerous … looking at a situation from only your vantage point is even more dangerous.

I love this proverb because it is a stark way to view your lot in life.

Every day we feel emotion, in the now. Every day we see things a certain way, in the now. Every day we react to situations, in the now. But there is usually much more to the story, much more to every story. We know the saying “put yourself in their shoes” and it is a great way to reconsider any situation … whether you have shoes or not.

Are we happy with our lot in life? If so, we are blessed. But if we are angered, maybe we should look twice and consider another outcome. I pray that we have the strength to consider what others face, when we face our own challenges … 

Two Great Days

A wonderful quote to chew on from John C. Maxwell: "There are two great days in our lives - the day we are born and the day we discover why."

When people ask “What was the greatest day of your life?”, I typically have had a ready response. Usually my greatest days center on my marriage or the birth of my children. Most people do have ready answers, because we have memorable moments that are burned into our life history. But Maxwell looks at our greatest days from an angle I had not considered.

I know he is first and foremost a writer focused on business and leadership. But he is a pastor as well and often his quotes go far beyond business, as this one does. It struck me that the “days” he speaks of are likely not easily remembered … and that is a very different perspective to ponder.

To me, his quote speaks first to the fact that we are children of God, each of us born with a life path like no other. Without that first great day … the day of our birth … there are no more, so I understand well the significance it has. But while we love to celebrate birthdays, does the party or the card or the gift do that first great day enough justice? There is so much more “hidden” in the celebration … the real meaning that God has given our life, by our birth in His image and with His grace.

And then there is the second great day, when we discover our purpose. Not just our passion or the perfect job or an innovation we have brought to the world. No, for me “the day we discover why” is the day we accept Jesus … He is the link between our greatest days. And the One who will be there on our last one …

Get Off Your But

Saw this comment posted by a friend on Twitter and it definitely made me think …

The comment was made in this context: We make excuses every day. The question is what excuses do we need to stop using so we can get off our But and make something important happen. The reality is that there is too often a “But” at the end of many sentences. I could have done that, But. I would have done that, But. I should have done that, But. Too much looking backwards at what we failed to do.

That said, not all Buts are bad. It may be that something better came along and an even greater choice was made. It may be that there was not enough time or space to fulfill a plan. Maybe it was a situation where there was no harm, no foul. Maybe the But meant “not yet” or “not now”, rather than a final no or a final excuse.

What the comment reminded me of is the need to look at ourselves honestly and challenge our Buts, maybe even challenge our Buts off if we can. Life is fleeting and there is precious little time for excuses. One of my best friends would call this the “WishIda” syndrome … as in, wish I’d a done that. If we don’t pay attention to what we’re doing, we will have way too many WishIdas in our lives.

Finally, here’s another thing this comment made me think of: “There but for the grace of God go I” … a saying I think about whenever I see a challenge, a tragedy, a person who has been hurt or is suffering. Even a car accident brings that to my mind. It is the grace of God that keeps me whole and living a life through faith … there is no But about that.

Jagged and Smooth

"I remember quite clearly one of my middle school teachers telling me that I was a stone with sharp, jagged edges, but that I would turn into a smooth river stone as I grew older. During the years while I was making this film, I felt like I was getting sharper and sharper instead." … Zhao Ling, a filmmaker of a documentary that angered the Chinese government.

I very much like the teaching of the middle school teacher in China. We are in fact raw when we are young, unpolished in our emotions and maturity. We are jagged with innocence and excitement, with the sprint into life, hot energy burning to know, to grow, to show who we are. We are tumbling through life, making a path in that river … not always clear but often full of dynamic action.

That tumbling makes us wiser. We learn more about life, feel the thrill and too the hard disappointments that we encounter. We are polished by time and space. We see what is and what isn’t … we experience truth and falsehoods, not just about the world but about ourselves. We are more deeply in that river of life and every bend, every bank teaches us … and smoothes our journey and our being.

And then there are those times when we become sharper again, by circumstance or by choice. We take our newfound polish and make a statement … whether making a film or striking out in a new way, changing our lives in ways we never expected. In this, we know what we are about … we know we are at risk, but we see more sharply what we must become. It is a new path, one we are sent toward … in that, He is there, our God of faith. He believes in us and knows that we must be who we were destined to be.

I pray that we see both of our edges, the sharp and the smooth, as two sides of a being rich in detail and rich in faith … we are all jagged and smooth.

An Opportunity

I saw this in a blog called Shelee-notsodeepthoughts and wanted to share it … it is deeper than Shellee knows …

I remember the moment. I remember the circumstances. I remember my words.
"Maybe God is just giving you an opportunity to trust Him."

I remember believing, hoping and praying that she would learn to trust Him.

Lately, my words have haunted from the recesses of my mind.
"Maybe God is just giving you an opportunity to trust Him."

And the still, small voice is pressing hard … "Do you believe? Do you trust me?"

Life doesn't always go the way we had hoped. We don't get a say in the choices of others, and we can't make people do things the way we think they should be done. We don't get to control death, loss, disease. We can't change the diagnosis that will rob our loved one of their memories. We just stand there helpless as we watch it happen.

And, that's what I do.
I watch helplessly as life goes much differently than I had planned.
I wrestle. I wonder. I ache.
I get angry.
I long for control.

Isn't that the root of all sin? My belief that my way is better than His? Isn't that what I am really thinking?

All the while, it is there.
The whispered, "Do you trust me?"

Faith is not something you have, it is something you do. Despite the wrestling, the ache, and the anger you trust; knowing that someday, it will all be redeemed.

Knowing that even though I cannot see it, it is being redeemed.
God is not idle.
I am not alone.
He is redeeming.
Do I trust Him?