"Did you see my good box?" little Maddie said excitedly to her au pair who had just come back from her week-end away, holding it up for her to see. I had suggested Maddie show her birthday presents to her, and she picked up the first thing she saw. Actually, it was a Minnie Mouse-shaped box with the Disney character on it that I had picked up as an afterthought as too cute to pass up, to go with the other gifts I had brought her.
Never mind that Maddie had received mounds of valuable presents, including a bicycle, play kitchen and party gifts, all of which she loved, my box was right up there on her list! At her age, what something costs (50cents on sale), doesn't figure in the joy she gets from it.
My husband and I were talking about "intrinsic value" the other day--the worth of something, monetary value not withstanding. A house may bring a certain price on the real estate market, but the intrinsic value of a home that has sheltered a family and is the depository of memories is incalculable!
Just this morning Howard was saying to me, "You've got to watch this program I just saw! It will make you realize who you are in Christ!" He had arisen early and turned on his favorite television minister and received added insight he couldn't wait to share with me (after he got another forty winks, anyway).
It's true. The Bible says in Matthew 16:26, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" The human body is made up of 54 elements, worth about $160 by some estimates, but the value of the soul, or eternal spirit, is inestimable!
Cost of birthday trip:
New tire for car......................................$100
Gasoline for 500 mile round trip..........$150
Food.......................................................$ 50
Birthday presents..................................$ 20
Time with grandchildren and Maddie's expression...................................Priceless
Some say the value of something is determined by what you are willing to pay for it. Jesus considered us so valuable that He died for us to have the gift of eternal life. He paid it all. All we have to do is receive it, just as our 4-year-old granddaughter received her birthday gifts. Jesus came all the way from heaven to deliver it.
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