You Are Worth It

Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

—Luke 12:7b

An old L’Oréal ad campaign encouraged people to use their shampoo and conditioner, “because you’re worth it,” meaning, worth the effort it takes to cultivate healthy hair. Today, “you’re worth it” echoes from ads for things like decadent chocolate, telling us we’re worthy of treating ourselves. However,

these messages compete with subtle lies that tell us we aren’t worth anything.

If we aren’t good-looking, thin, smart or athletic, we’re worth less than we would be otherwise.

The church gets in on this at times. Through words and actions, Christians tell each other they’re only worth God’s time if they’re perfect. A full-time missionary in Africa is considered more worthy than the church member who serves coffee on Sundays and has never left the United States. The woman in a fancy dress is considered more approachable than the single mom who wore a T-shirt and

jeans to church.

God doesn’t want any of His people to feel worthless. That’s why He created so many of us but didn’t make any two people the same. It’s why we read so many stories of Jesus reaching out to marginalized people—shepherds, prostitutes, the sick and the disabled. He wanted us to know that we’re all worth His crucifixion.

In today’s verse, Jesus reminds the audience that people could sell sparrows for pennies in their culture. In other words, sparrows weren’t worth much monetarily or otherwise. If a sparrow fell and died, no one really noticed. In contrast, Jesus promises that the Father sees when each sparrow falls—and cares about each one. Jesus also tells us each of us is worth more than many sparrows.

Today, thank God for counting you worthy of sacrificing His Son. Ask Him to remind you of your worth and help you rejoice in it. Then go out and show

others they’re worth it to Him too.