Reason #884
Aaron and I went to The Love Your Marriage Night with Dr. Carlson a few weeks ago. He challenged us to be intentional about doing one thing that would make a difference in our lives. Now this may sound crazy. It may sound a little odd, too, but I decided that my one thing would be to refuse to lie to myself. I would refuse to speak and think negative about myself, and if and when I did, I was not going to believe it. The truth is, we influence ourselves quite a bit, and I realized I needed to be a better influence on myself. I falter between confidence and self-consciousness. It stems from a lot of things, really. Different experiences, unmet expectations. And today, I learned another truth about myself.
When I was in college, I was told by the business school that if I stayed in accounting, I'd graduate and make a nice salary. I graduated and landed my first job, making about half of what I was told I could potentially earn. I chalked it up to the fact that I was inexperienced, so I was okay with what I was offered. After all, I had been making minimum wage, so you can only go up from there. About a year after I had been working in my position as a financial coordinator for a federally funded program, I got a call about a potential new job. This was the first time, and has been the only time since, that I was actually sought out for a position. This man told me he saw my resume through the business college's website and wanted me to come work for him as an accountant. I went for an interview, and he informed me that he would only be able to match what I was currently making, not exceed it. The benefits weren't any better, and the only advantage was that I'd have a shorter commute. I was a little disappointed that I had a degree and a year's worth of experience under my belt and that it didn't win me any extra points in his eyes. I decided it would be better to stay where I was, but I recommended someone else for the job. The individual I recommended had yet to graduate college, had absolutely no accounting experience, and yet he received an offer of $5000 more than I was offered. Obviously, I was less valuable.
This wasn't the first time I thought that about myself, but it was one of those situations that helped solidify it. And as I've faced a humbling walk through corporate America over the past 6 years, this issue has resurfaced time and time again. The issue of feeling valuable, of feeling important. The issue of being seen as an asset, of being sought out and wanted. And, as I drove back from lunch today, the Lord reminded me of His truth.
We put dollar signs on everything. We place it in order from most to least valuable. When you hear words like chief, administrator, president, lawyer, or doctor, you realize you're talking to what we, as society, deem as a valuable individual. Someone who is worth something somewhere. Someone who is highly compensated. We have a "pay for what you get" mentality, and these are the people who are it. The cream of the crop. The elite. And then there is the rest of us, right? The worker bees who seem easily replaceable. The ones who aren't going to get noticed and recognized outside of their little bubble at work. The people who get paid just enough to make ends meet if they're wise with what they've got, and it has been a real challenge for me to not let my job define who I am as a person. To not let it determine my worth. To remember that a job is simply what we do, not who we are.
So maybe you're like me. Maybe your work life isn't quite what you expected. Maybe your paycheck certainly doesn't make you valuable in any form or fashion. Maybe you, like me, have believed that you have to be something important to feel like you've got true value. Maybe you think that the only way that'll really come about is through your job. But that's not the truth. Far from it. People have been working since the world began, and people will work until it ends. You may impact a few decades, but then what? What happens when that day comes and you can't work anymore? What happens when the company closes or layoffs happen? Do you lose your value because you lost your position? Does your worth decrease with the loss of your title? No, and thank goodness for that. Because there is no amount of money in the world to replace you. You are irreplaceable. You were bought at a high price, thus making you priceless. Whether you are making 6 figures a year or barely getting by, you can't place a number on what you're worth.
So, child of God, believe it. Don't let dollar signs determine it for you. Don't let your title, or lack thereof, convince you either way. None of those things are a determining factor to the Lord. You are priceless, valuable, worthy, and irreplaceable. There will always be another executive, doctor, lawyer, or chief. You're the only you. The only one there ever has been and the only one that ever will be. So thank Him for that. Thank Him that He is the one who gives us our value and the one who sees our true value. He has placed much worth in you and, in His eyes, you are incredibly important.
#884 - Because, in His eyes, we are priceless, worthy, valuable, and important.
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." - Luke 12:6-7
When I was in college, I was told by the business school that if I stayed in accounting, I'd graduate and make a nice salary. I graduated and landed my first job, making about half of what I was told I could potentially earn. I chalked it up to the fact that I was inexperienced, so I was okay with what I was offered. After all, I had been making minimum wage, so you can only go up from there. About a year after I had been working in my position as a financial coordinator for a federally funded program, I got a call about a potential new job. This was the first time, and has been the only time since, that I was actually sought out for a position. This man told me he saw my resume through the business college's website and wanted me to come work for him as an accountant. I went for an interview, and he informed me that he would only be able to match what I was currently making, not exceed it. The benefits weren't any better, and the only advantage was that I'd have a shorter commute. I was a little disappointed that I had a degree and a year's worth of experience under my belt and that it didn't win me any extra points in his eyes. I decided it would be better to stay where I was, but I recommended someone else for the job. The individual I recommended had yet to graduate college, had absolutely no accounting experience, and yet he received an offer of $5000 more than I was offered. Obviously, I was less valuable.
This wasn't the first time I thought that about myself, but it was one of those situations that helped solidify it. And as I've faced a humbling walk through corporate America over the past 6 years, this issue has resurfaced time and time again. The issue of feeling valuable, of feeling important. The issue of being seen as an asset, of being sought out and wanted. And, as I drove back from lunch today, the Lord reminded me of His truth.
We put dollar signs on everything. We place it in order from most to least valuable. When you hear words like chief, administrator, president, lawyer, or doctor, you realize you're talking to what we, as society, deem as a valuable individual. Someone who is worth something somewhere. Someone who is highly compensated. We have a "pay for what you get" mentality, and these are the people who are it. The cream of the crop. The elite. And then there is the rest of us, right? The worker bees who seem easily replaceable. The ones who aren't going to get noticed and recognized outside of their little bubble at work. The people who get paid just enough to make ends meet if they're wise with what they've got, and it has been a real challenge for me to not let my job define who I am as a person. To not let it determine my worth. To remember that a job is simply what we do, not who we are.
So maybe you're like me. Maybe your work life isn't quite what you expected. Maybe your paycheck certainly doesn't make you valuable in any form or fashion. Maybe you, like me, have believed that you have to be something important to feel like you've got true value. Maybe you think that the only way that'll really come about is through your job. But that's not the truth. Far from it. People have been working since the world began, and people will work until it ends. You may impact a few decades, but then what? What happens when that day comes and you can't work anymore? What happens when the company closes or layoffs happen? Do you lose your value because you lost your position? Does your worth decrease with the loss of your title? No, and thank goodness for that. Because there is no amount of money in the world to replace you. You are irreplaceable. You were bought at a high price, thus making you priceless. Whether you are making 6 figures a year or barely getting by, you can't place a number on what you're worth.
So, child of God, believe it. Don't let dollar signs determine it for you. Don't let your title, or lack thereof, convince you either way. None of those things are a determining factor to the Lord. You are priceless, valuable, worthy, and irreplaceable. There will always be another executive, doctor, lawyer, or chief. You're the only you. The only one there ever has been and the only one that ever will be. So thank Him for that. Thank Him that He is the one who gives us our value and the one who sees our true value. He has placed much worth in you and, in His eyes, you are incredibly important.
#884 - Because, in His eyes, we are priceless, worthy, valuable, and important.
“What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows." - Luke 12:6-7
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