Because I'm Worth It...Priceless

I don't know about you...but the media is killin' me with all the economy talk.

Seriously. I find myself thinking I was back in "Little House on the Prairie" times...that it would just be easier to get by these days with a horse...milkin' my own cow and making my own clothes. That it would be easier to not have to wrestle with school activity fees...and messing with school fundraisers...and trying to deal with where my money goes.

And people.

Sigh.

People in need.

And I gotta tell you...it's difficult for me to find the 'extra money' to give to 'people in need'...when I'm trying to figure out my own stuff, you know??!!

Maybe I'm a 'people in need'...

And then there are the needy people in my life.

Do you know what I'm talking about? These folks don't necessarily need my money.

Relationships. They can cost so much...we try to save a little time for ourselves and someone comes along and charges us extra. We invest in our children's lives...our friendships...because we know that they're worth something and I value my relationships greatly.

Wow. Is the tv on? Do you hear all that money talk?

Here. I'll help you out.

Relationships. They can cost so much...we try to save a little time for ourselves and someone comes along and charges us extra. We invest in our children's lives...our friendships...because we know that they're worth something and I value my relationships greatly.

People...relationships....are not a commodity. Donald Miller talks about that some in his book, "Blue Like Jazz".

It's hard to talk about people and not use those words. See, I think you're valuable. But valuable is a 'money' word. I can want you to realize how much you're worth. But again...a cash amount seems to be appropriate here.

You're actually not valuable.

You're invaluable.

Dictionary.com says invaluable is an adjective describing something that is "beyond calculable or appraisable value".

Can't even buy life insurance for you...because you're beyond dollar amounts! :)

Do you understand that?

Do you realize how much you matter?? How rare you are? What a find you could be?

It's big stuff. Just like the stock market news...I find it difficult to wrap my brain around...

You matter to me. You matter to God. You need to matter to yourself...

and other people need to matter to you.

Because we're all invaluable. Each one of us. From babies who can't seem to sleep thru the night to great grandmas that don't remember our names anymore. From our best friend to our worst enemy.

All invaluable. All matter.

It is so easy, my friends, to calculate our relationships. To determine what the 'fair amount' is on our time...our effort...what our 'payback' will be...

I do it. I'm sure you do it as well. I don't want to reach out to this person or that person because it's not worth the investment...

or...

or we don't think we're worth the investment. We become martyrs...giving so much of our 'cashflow' to others that our account is 'empty' or 'overdrawn'...and we don't take care of ourselves because we've put ourself last.

You, my friend, are more than a dollar sign to me. You're like a great piece of art...or furniture...or that ages old quilt. You're priceless...

and you can...um...take that to the bank.