Viewpoint from Emma Sivyer 09/07/2021

Emma Sivyer
Licensed Lay Minister
Martham Parish Churches 

What are you worth?

 
The Norwich City fans in my family were excited to see the announcement of their new signing, Milot Rashica. In their opinion, the reported 9.4-million-pound price-tag represents a good deal. On the other hand, they were more sceptical about Manchester City’s alleged offer of 100 million for Harry Kane
 

We tend to measure worth in a material way.  When we look at rich lists, we see the names of the super-wealthy listed alongside their worth in pounds. We equate what we are worth with what we have.  As people jostle for places on those lists we even use the language that one person is worth more than another, or that someone is worth less than they were last year
 
We don’t only apply this to the super-rich or to footballers. We make judgements about ourselves and others based on circumstance and wealth. Our immigration system is based on the idea that you must earn, or be worth, a certain amount before you can come here to live, yet we saw during the pandemic that many of our highly-valued keyworkers earn less than that threshold.  If we judge ourselves by income it can hit us hard when our lives change, and we feel we are worth less than we were before. There are also many in our communities who, owing to their circumstances, have never thought that they are worth much
 
If we were to ask Harry Kane or Milot Rashica’s families what they are worth to them, I doubt they’d answer with a price.  Our relationships with others show that we have worth which is greater than the sum of what we own. To love and be loved by others is fundamental to being human.  We need deep, emotional bonds with others in order to thrive
 
As a Christian, I know that every single person who has ever lived is precious and loved by God. Their worth is not measured in pounds, nor in their family circumstances, nor even in the quality of their relationships. Their worth is invaluable simply because God made them in his image and he loves them.  The Bible tells us that God loves us so much that he gave his only son, Jesus for our sake. If you ever wonder whether you are worth much, remember that from God’s perspective, you are priceless
 
 

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