Values of Value

I'd never seen my dad handle anything else more delicately or with such caution- except maybe my own mother. 

He slowly inched down the stairs, holding the beautifully crafted and craved glass vase with a rose inside. His eyes matched the vase, and then the steps ahead of him. Back and forth his focus switched for what seemed like forever to get down the stairs.

"Dad, why are you going so slow?" I asked him.

"This is very special and extremely delicate. It has so much value, it's probably worth the same amount as your car. It must be taken with extreme care."

He finally made it to the kitchen table and placed the vase and rose in the middle. "I wish I could think of a safer place, but it looks so nice displayed here. Don't you think?" he asked me.

"Yeah," I replied. Why was this so valuable?

He took a quick glance at his watch. "Well, I'm off to work. See you tonight kiddo."

"Alright," I greeted as he jetted out the door. I walked nearer to the table and studied the flower. A red rose. What could be it's significance? I realized it didn't matter. I had to take care of it, and for some reason my dad thought it'd be okay to just throw it in a vase and on the table. He himself said how valuable it was, so I wasn't planning on letting it wilt away on some table by a much-too-sunny-window.

-

For days I took care of that flower. I did all the research on how to best take care of roses. I did all of it. But after only a few days, the flower began to brown, and grow wrinkles and tears.

I was baffled. Why would my dad place so much value in something he knew would quickly pass? 

But I held it in my hand. It was beautiful. Red, with the now-brownish color. Soft and smooth petals. These flowers much cost a fortune for their beauty and sincerity. I was beginning to understand it's value.

A petal fell off as I admired it. I turned to my dad, finally getting a chance to ask him why this flower had so much value.

"Oh honey," he replied. "The flower means nothing. What was valuable was the VASE. I don't care about the rose. I can replace that any time."

I began to study the rose in my hand again. Why did it seem to even lose color just while talking about it with my dad? I did not see the value I possibly thought it could have anymore. Now it was just a dying flower. 

Still observing the rose, there will still a few red petals. I didn't think the flower was completely invaluable to me now, because the beautiful things I memorized about it were still true. It had value to me, but this value just wasn't true to everyone else.

-

God is teaching me a thing or two about value.

I am noticing, with particular things in my life, that some things only have as much value as you place on them.

Specifically, opinions and certain relationships.

There are opinions that I have often valued too much in my life, and this value in other people's opinions over my own has created insecurity and whatever the opposite of confidence is. Recently having been told negative things about myself in various situations, I took these opinions and LET it hurt me. Weigh on me. Be of value.

And that's where the downfall happened. I hurt for a long time after these occasions. But now that I realized certain things in life only have as much value as you allow them to have, I have decided: these occasions and opinions have NONE.

Later on, some of these opinions were taken back; and replaced with encouragements instead. While they did encourage me and feel good, I decided to not let them have much value either. Because if we obsess over hearing nice things about ourselves, especially from those who have already chastised us, it is such dangerous territory for the emotional state of your heart.

Aside from opinions, something else we also place value on is... well, anything other than God Himself. We place so much value on dating and relationships, being pretty, having money, just to name a few. For clarity, I want to state that I am not implying WORKING, ENJOYING, OR FOCUSING on these things are bad or wrong. I am saying that it is very easy to make these elements idols.

i·dol

ˈīdl/

noun

1. an image or representation of a god used as an object of worship.

Of course we don't physically get on our knees and worship these things. But we do it in our subconscious. And I'm pretty sure if we could have one-on-one talks with our hearts, they would tell us, "Yep, I freakin' WORSHIP that thing."

The only reason I can identify this is because I struggle everyDAY with placing too much value on these things. But gosh, it is empowering to realize God has given me the strength to NOT have this struggle- all I have to do is take away it's value from my heart; or at least, stop believing it had or has value. These things only have as much value to me as I decide that they do.

It can also go the opposite way, too. Maybe there are certain things we don't place ENOUGH value in- kind of like the vase. The character in the analogy was so focused on the rose, he didn't realize his dad was talking about the vase's value. So while he was off mistakenly believing this rose needed extreme care, the vase was sitting on the table waiting to be knocked over.

What are some vases in your life? For me, I see my relationship with God and certain family members as vases I could take a lot better care of. My intentions at work has been an ongoing one now- am I working to serve others or to impress others while making money? 

It is not so that everything in life's value is determinant only by the variable of your opinion of it, or how much value you THINK it has. The value of the heart, a person's story, and so much more is beyond a value measured by our human minds. But we can certainly work on shortening Earthly values and extending heavenly values. 

Either way, know that YOU are valuable, and God has given YOU the power to decide in the right situations the true value and effect something can and should have on you.