Defining Our Value
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)
Value is a challenging and convoluted word. In our society, we often base value on financial income. Race, family background, and education influence society’s definition of human worth. Even within these complexities, there are layers of intricacies. Global communities value some races more than others. Within education, we value specific studies more than others, while some Colleges and Universities are treated with more respect than others. Societal norms can make almost all of us feel like we are of limited value, no matter how much we produce.
If our only barometer for value and dignity is societal, our worth is narrow. When these societal descriptions are treasured, the width of our potential is constricted. Today, fewer young people are entering necessary fields like education, psychology, and sociology, and instead are focused primarily on math, science, and technology because of the higher potential income streams.
In “Do You Feel Empty Inside?” Alan Wong asks the painful question, “Are you pricing yourself?” It is a fair question because our society has become expensive enough that most of our focus must be on pursuing resources that will enhance value. The model car we drive, the neighborhood we live in, and the type of occupation we possess add to or diminish our personal price tag. Is there another way to place value on ourselves and others?
Alan Wong offers the following alternative, “To love someone is to dignify them, not to price them.” Our society wasn’t that much different from Jesus’ time and place. If you were a Roman citizen, you had more value. The fact the Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen saved his life on a few occasions. If you were Jewish, you were treated differently than if you followed the Roman gods. Occupation and money were the way to dignity or shame. Ask Matthew, the tax collector, who was willing to be shamed, just to get extra income. Today, prayerfully think about how you evaluate others and yourself. How can you make room for divine love in your evaluation, and how would it transform how you value others and yourself?