The Yard Sale

The Yard Sale

 by Maria Hartman

I know most of you have either been to a yard sale, had a yard sale, or both. I’d like to share with you some of the lessons God has taught me as we prepare for one this weekend.

It is a given. Have a yard sale just one time and you will experience what generally takes place when people come by. An item can be marked at 50 cents and invariably someone will want it for 25 cents. A new item priced at $5.00 will rarely be purchased at that price without someone offering $3.00 or $4.00 instead. Why? Well people are certainly looking to save money, but most often we are in this situation because our opinion of the worth of things varies greatly. If you are going to sell some old pots that used to be your grandmother’s, sentimental value is tagged onto the price. Someone looking at the pot doesn’t see that; to them it’s just a pot. The value they place on it is much less than the value the owner has placed on it.

Yes, even yard sales cause me to think upon what God has for me to learn. The worth I attach to something is different than the worth someone else attaches and vice-versa, but…..

What is value really? Isn’t it all an individual opinion in a sense? The answer is both true and false. If someone offers me a painting that is honestly worth $5,000 for only $100, that may be a good ‘value’, but it isn’t a good value to me because I don’t have any extra money to spend on anything that isn’t necessary these days. Another person may jump at that opportunity and say that I’m crazy for not taking advantage of such a good deal. Therein lies two different opinions on the value of something; neither right nor wrong….just different.

Life is something of great value. People differ on that view as well, however, the value life holds is non-negotiable. It is set in the heart of God and an opinion or perspective will not alter it. It is infinitely valuable from the very moment of conception and it remains that way until the day a person breathes the last breath God gave them to breathe. It is not dependent on level of function, what it looks like, where it has come from or what society thinks of it. Life is so valuable because the Creator of Life has said it is valuable. Even more so, He followed up the value He placed on HIS creation with
incomprehensible action. Friends the value He judged our life to be worth won over keeping His Son with Him in heaven for all eternity.

You know, I don’t think about my value correctly; at times I can so easily think I have it all together and am far better than I am. That is called pride. I don’t ever start out with that intention, but it creeps in nonetheless. Every time I see it, I see how ugly it is and how it can’t coexist with the Spirit of God. I eventually remind myself that I am dead and new life has taken over. Therefore self has nothing to boast in. Through Christ, in Christ, and because of Christ, I am more than I’ve EVER thought to think of myself. But you know what? The other day I was prayed, “God, thank you so much that I am precious to You and that you even call me Your beloved.” Here I was saying something that was so humbling and not at all prideful (because God says it’s true), and yet it ‘felt’ strange to say it about myself.

I believe that just like a yard sale interaction, we fall into the trap of what we think, yes even above what God says.

For Today: We can have our opinions on the worth of a car, a painting, and a used dress at a yard sale. But unless we are very careful we will place far more weight on something Christ died to free us from than we do on our real value in Christ. There aren’t enough adverbs to describe how deep His love for you and me is. And that means that our value is deeper, wider, stronger, and higher than anything we can fathom.

After our time on earth is through, maybe then we’ll understand just how much we mean to Him. I’ll praise Him now and forever that no price was too high to pay….even for me.

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.