Beloved. Friend. Son or daughter. Not just someone to be used for a need He has. Perhaps we can’t understand who we are until we start to see what He has given us. What He sees when He looks at us.
He sees someone for whom He sacrificed everything because He considered us worth having relationship with. He sees none of the mistakes or failures as definition of us, but only sees the worth He has bestowed on us. Something is only worth what people will pay for it. I heard recently about a piece of virtual art that sold for over $60 million. Why? Because someone decided it had value enough to pay a crazy amount of money for it. And God has decided that your worth is valued at such a high price that He was willing to sacrifice His Son, and Jesus was willing to sacrifice Himself.
And this wasn’t just a one-time thing. He gives us His life, whether we treat it with respect or not. He is with us in everything we do or think. And I want to know—what are you communicating about what you think about your worth when you do what you do? That’s not a condemnation, but so many of us act as if we are hated, despised, spat on, worthless, devalued, dirty, and disappointing.
In 1 Peter 2, we are called precious, just like Jesus is precious. He has given us His preciousness. Precious means to be prized above all else, of great value, and not to be treated carelessly. So, that means that you are prized by God, considered of great value (whether or not you believe it) and one who is not to be treated carelessly.
I think that often we assume that if we really believed this value God places on us, we would walk around strutting with great pride. But I know that when my kids realize they have great value to me, there is an air of peace that covers them. They know they can dare greatly because they have backup. They have someone who believes in their value regardless of what their behavior says. I often tell my kids that the way they are acting isn’t true to who they are—as in, your hitting your sibling is not true to the kind, loved sibling I know you are. And that’s what God sees when He looks at us.
Yes, He sees our behavior—good, bad or indifferent. But that’s not what defines us for Him. He has already given us value and definition, and sometimes it matches up with our behavior and sometimes it doesn’t. It doesn’t change the value, though. This worth that God bestows on us means that we can’t do anything to change it. We can cover it up and ignore it, but we can’t get rid of it.
When you consider someone precious, you take care of them, sacrificing anything to make sure they are ok. You put them first, showing them through your actions how precious they are. I know that my kids probably won’t realize until they are parents all that we have sacrificed on them, but that’s ok. It’s not the recognition of the sacrifice that gives them value. I know that looking back on what my parents sacrificed for me, I see that I was precious to them as well. Recognition, though, is a slow process, and often comes with maturity. So, just because you may not realize it yet doesn’t mean it’s not there.
You are precious to God. He places great value on you, and cares for you. You are His prize. It may not always feel like care, as my kids sometimes think that my rules or protecting them is not what they really need. But I hope that I will see more and more the sweetness of God’s love for me as I mature and grow in relationship with Him, just as I hope my kids will see more of the value I put on them as they grow.
For it says in Scripture: Look! I lay a cornerstone in Zion, a chosen and priceless stone! And whoever believes in him will certainly not be disappointed. As believers you know his great worth—indeed, his preciousness is imparted to you. But for those who do not believe: The stone that the builders rejected and discarded has now become the cornerstone and a stone that makes them stumble and a rock to trip over. They keep stumbling over the message because they refuse to believe it. And this they were destined to do. But you are God’s chosen treasure—priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience his marvelous light, and now he claims you as his very own. He did this so that you would broadcast his glorious wonders throughout the world. 1 Peter 2:6-9