Priceless

Only in our culture of over-achievers with our views of people as economic units, as in how much can you produce or contribute to society, would we find the need to place a value on every single person in society. I find it amusing that salary.com, and some homemakers, found it essential to put a $$ value on what they do each day. And while I don't dispute the numbers or truth behind them, I question, why do we need to put a dollar value on this priceless work that mothers, and many fathers, do each day?

Lets face it, we are an economy based culture. And when we give up careers to stay home, we tend to want to avoid thinking that our value has diminished, by a career-change, by sickness, shortcomings or any other drawback to our percieved success in life. And how have we been taught that we can avoid devaluation?: Control.

Once upon a time, retirement plans in big companies were completely managed by experts. Nowadays, we all want to control our own plans, and so we can now log into our accounts online and make all of our investment decisions ourselves, regardless of the fact that someone else may be able to do a better job of it. We want control - so if it all goes wrong, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Huh?

Organize, research, prepare, make lists, plan ahead, get it together, keep it together, center yourself - are all calls that resonate in the media, because we all believe, or want to at least, that we are in charge and control our own destiny's.

The sad part is that when we work hard to be in control, we are essentially taking the reigns out of our Father's hands. We rob ourselves of letting God have the opportunity to provide for us and thereby miss out on the many blessings and provisions he has for us.

By trying to be in control, we make things harder for ourselves. God has solutions for our lives that far surpass any that we can come to by ourselves. Jeremiah 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

I love the stories people share about when they were on their last dollar, or on their way into surgery and God, just in time, provides for them in a way they couldn't have even imagined or never thought to hope for, proving once again that he is Lord of all.

Why is it that we don't hear more about such miracles? Or why is it that these miracles mostly seem to happen in the missionary fields? Could it be that we, in our prosperous country, believe we are self-sufficient? Able to provide for ourselves? Prideful? Over-confident? Unwilling to admit our weaknesses? Unwilling to ask, or heaven forbid, ever cry out for help?

Knowing that God has our best intentions in mind, why is it that we still feel compelled to be in control? a.k.a taking control from God? Could it be that we are suspicious of God's intentions toward us? What else could spawn this disobedience? Just like Adam and Eve, when they suspected that God didn't want them to eat from the tree of knowledge because he didn't want them to know what he knew? Are you suspicious of God's intentions for you?

Well don't! God loves you and he has your best interest at heart. Read Jeremiah 29:11 again! When you are weak, when you have fallen short, God still loves you - your value is not diminished in the eyes of God. Our father still loves you regardless. Don't forget, God is love. He made you and you are priceless. Proverbs 31:10: An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

Proclaim it, as Paul did in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10: My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ's power may rest on me....for when I am weak, then I am strong."