Value of Persons

Theresa is in Denver enjoying being a grandma

We’ve examined how self perception is engineered and that no one has a perfect self image, all of us having some sense of insecurity or inadequacy. Secular wisdom had some good suggestions in constructing a healthy self esteem. Then we examined the names of God to better know Him and obtain a deeper sense of security in Him. Now we observe more deeply our value as one who walks with Christ.

Since the age of 12 (120 years ago!!), I have been accustomed to working and being productive. As a North Dakota adolescent, I shoveled snow from sidewalks and driveways, carried the daily newspaper, sometimes “enjoying” throwing papers in 30 degrees below zero blizzards. (What you are brought up in you think is normal.) I mowed lawns, set double lane pins in the bowling alley. In high school, I painted houses, barns and churches along with working in a laundry, construction, sports writing and farm work.College years was more of the same until I took my first post college job as a college teacher and athletic coach.

And I’ve worked ever since in the people helping business until 9 ago when I was asked to resign from my position as college prof and coach. Work has served as a source of ministry, of financial gain, fulfillment, of self esteem building and it has been fun. My norwegian/estonian heritage provided me with a good work ethic. My late wife, Ann, would at times chide me for not having fun. I would tell her that work, to me, was fun.

Retirement has removed that work related value of self. So what is my value as a person? What am I worth, especialy now that I’m not working (for money).
A Chuck Colson Breakpoint article has interesting thoughts about the value of a person.
“In one aisle, the local computer store sells a single CD for between $99 and $299. In the next aisle, they carry multi-pack CDs for less than a dollar per disc. Why the drastic price discrepancy? They're both made of the same plastic. The difference is, of course, that the cheap compact discs are blank -- while the expensive ones are encoded with various versions of Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system.

Man’s Value: 97 cents or $6 million
“A chemist calculated the value of the chemicals in his body. Computing the cost of the carbon, iron, calcium, and the other elemental chemicals on the periodic table of the elements -- he found his body was worth ninety-seven cents. “But that's not the way the chemicals appear in living bodies. When he calculated the value of the hemoglobin, insulin, and other complex organic compounds that actually composed his body, he realized he was worth more than $6 million! That's what the body's programming does. It's information technology from the DNA, which is why many scientists are now talking about Intelligent Design of the body.”

Speaking of personal value, it is interesting to note that the people of Israel valued Jesus at 30 pieces of silver. (Matt.27:9) One estimate of the 30 pieces (Dake’s Bible) is $19.20 - for the creator of the universe!
So, in my state of vocational unproductivity, I’m wondering: what is my value - 97 cents, less then 30 pieces of silver, 6 million dollars, or ...?

In speaking to a gemologist, I learned that a diamond has no real value sitting on a storage shelf. It has value only as it is used - either for cutting or as a gift. Intrinsically, a good two-carot diamond is worth between 20 and 40 thousand dollars, but it doesn’t demonstrate that value until is is presented as a gift representing love. Though the diamond is timeless and one of the most durable elements, its greatest functional value is emotional and has been since the 14th century when it was first given as an engagement ring.

I was told that a #2 pencil lead is made of the same material as a diamond - carbon. It just hasn’t gone through the crystalizing process of heat and pressure producing the diamond.
In the contemplating that we’re doing now with value and meaning of life, I’m wondering of what value you see yourself. Do you associate with the pencil lead? It has some value in use for writing. Is the diamond created by heat and pressure seemingly on the productive shelf?

We can know intellectually that we’re like the high priced Christ-encoded CD, that we have intrinsic value because God loves us and Christ died for us (John 3:16). Zephaniah 3:17-18 tells me God rejoices over me in happy song. And, God has been so good to us, for which we could write much supportive evidence. But, like the plastic un-encoded CD or the diamond ring, until there is functional productivity there seems to be little functioning value.
We’ll look at the difference between functional value and intrinsic value tomorrow.