If I could somehow reach through this screen and talk to you, I bet you would tell me that a good majority of time you feel “less than”. Many would say worthless.
There have been way to many times in my life that I have felt utterly worthless. A failure!
Our societal norms make it incredibly hard to feel like you have worth. You have to have your “stuff” all together. You have to be the perfect spouse, parent, child, cook, housekeeper, employee and, as if that weren’t enough, your body has to be perfect too.
It’s a lot and I’m not sure if men feel the pressure to be perfect but women sure do!
The problem is that we aren’t perfect and the pressure to be perfect is exactly what makes us feel “less than” and “worthless”.
I mean, what if one of the kids disobeys? What if they make an imperfect choice?
What if my spouse makes poor decisions?
What is I gained 20 pounds. What if my miracle wrinkle cream doesn’t work. I burn dinner. I’m not “there” for my friends or family like I need to be because I’m putting out the fires in my own life.
It’s enough to drive you crazy and thoroughly convince you that you are a helpless heap of humanity.
In reality, you are a helpless and messy heap of humanity. So am I!
But, we are far from priceless.
Let’s look at what scripture says about it
Her price is far above rubies.
Proverbs 31:10b, King James Version
The woman of Proverbs 31 has a price! If something has a price it has value and worth! This applies to me and you too!!!
Remember, the Proverbs 31 woman is a depiction of the church as a whole but that church is made up of individual people. So, if the church is worth more than rubies then each of it’s individual members is worth more than rubies too!
You might think, rubies? I want to be worth more than diamonds!
After all, diamonds are a girls best friend, right?
Maybe in today’s terms that’s true…maybe. However, it’s quite possible that, at the time of Proverbs writing, diamonds weren’t even on the radar screen as an item of worth if they were even known about!
Checkout the quote before and you’ll be warming right on up to being a ruby!
Even today, rubies are fare more rare than diamonds and, depending on the quality of the stone, they can be of more value than diamonds! In fact, one of the most expensive gemstones was a ruby valuing 1,000,000 per carat!
Smiegel, Barbara PhD, GG, Arem, Joel E., PhD., FGA, Clark, Donald, CSM, IMG. “Ruby Value, Price, and Jewelry Information”. gemsociety.com.
While it’s fun to think of our worth in terms of gemstones, we are actually worth far more than any gemstone, even one worth 1,000,000 a carat could ever pay. Let’s take a look at 1 Peter.
For you know that you were not redeemed from your useless [spiritually unproductive] way of life inherited [by tradition] from your forefathers with perishable things like silver and gold, but [you were actually purchased]with precious blood, like that of a [sacrificial] lamb unblemished and spotless, the priceless blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18-19, Amplified
You and I have so much worth. Undeserved worth, but worth just the same! Our worth is the blood of Christ. Currency of invaluable price!
Think for a moment of all the glorious, unimaginable splendor of Heaven. Jesus left that so that he could come here to earth and identify with his creation in the base for of humanity.
Then, when he could have chosen to destroy the earth in all its evil, he looked through the annals of time and saw YOU!
You were worth the price of his blood, shed on a cross.
You have a value assigned to you, a price on your forehead, and it’s not contingent upon your weight, your parenting capabilities, or how successful you are at work!
It has nothing to do with a ruby either!
Your worth was, in the eyes of God, the price of Jesus’ life and his blood that ran red….priceless.
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