BANGED UP BUT STILL HAVING WORTH

The other day when I was doing laundry, I found a penny in the dryer. I picked up the penny and noticed that it looked pretty banged up. But, I slipped it in my pocket until I got to my desk. Then, I took out the penny and put it on a shelf. I always pick up pennies because they remind me to trust in God. After all, they have “In God We Trust” written on them.

But, there was something about this banged-up penny that tugged at me, even though I didn’t know why. I soon forgot the penny, but a couple of days later, another penny was in my dryer. Since April, I’ve been doing laundry at this house, and I’ve never found a penny in the dryer before.

Once again, I pulled out the penny, and it looked exactly like the other one, beaten and banged up. What were the odds of that happening? When things like this happen to me, I know that it isn’t a coincidence; it is a God-incidence. I knew that the Lord was trying to show me something, but I wasn’t sure what.

The more I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to how the pennies looked versus what they were still worth. Before the pennies went into the washing machine and dryer, they were worth two cents. They might have looked brand new when they went in, but coming out of the machines, they looked worn, beaten, and banged up. However, their outward appearance didn’t change their worth; they were still worth two cents.

I’m sure that many of us look in the mirror and see a banged-up version of ourselves. We all carry the scars from our past visible to us even if no one else can see them. We have all been lied to, cheated on, felt shame, and maybe we have been the ones who did all of those things to others. Some scars are so deep that we don’t think we can show our faces because others will see them and know what we are like inside.

Psalm 139:14

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Take a few moments to ponder on this verse. It is saying that WE are ALL wonderfully made by GOD! Hello, did that sink in just a little? Let me put it in another way; if the most famous artist in the world created a painting, can you imagine how much it is worth? The artwork itself might look mediocre to you or me, but it is WORTH so much because of who created it. There is your ah-ha moment.

Our Creator is much more important than an artist, especially since He also created the artist. His creations are priceless, even with all of the flaws that we all possess. We can see God’s creations when we go to the ocean and watch the tides roll in and out. We see the hand of the Lord when we watch a beautiful sunset in all of its splendor. So, why then do we struggle to see the Lord’s handiwork when we look in a mirror?

Romans 5:8

⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Our Creator loved us so much that he sent His son to earth to die for us, even while we were sinners. He didn’t only die for those without sins, scars, or blemishes; He died for ALL of us.

Now, go to that mirror and look at God’s wonderfully made creation!

Glory To God!

Have A Blessed Day!