What Are You Worth?
What Are You Worth?
By Lecia Crider
Perhaps the three most fundamental questions of human existence are these: Where did I come from? Why am I here? And, where am I going? These questions matter because we want to know that we matter, that there is something of value in us and our lives.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is one of just a few religions that espouses the doctrine of a pre-existence. In other words, we believe that we lived as spirits in heaven before coming to Earth to receive our bodies, grow and be tested. We consider that each of us is a literal, beloved child of Heavenly Parents.
This basic answer to the question “Where did I come from?” is essential because it establishes our value as individuals. As His child, “Our eternal worth is given to us by God; it cannot be manipulated or decreased by anyone.” (Lockhart, Barbara Day, “Our Divinely Based Worth,” Ensign, June 1995).
When we learned algebra, we became familiar with the concept of variables and constants. We learned that the variables in our equations could be changed to produce different outcomes. The constants, though, were just that - constant. They never changed.
“Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God” (Doctrine & Covenants 18:10). The worth that God has assigned to us is a constant. It cannot ever change, because God is an unchangeable Being (see Doctrine & Covenants 20:17).
The world, on the other hand, assigns us value based on variables that are constantly changing. How much money do you make? What is your title at work? Are you good at sports? How many followers do you have? Are you thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough and popular enough? When we listen to these voices, we can get caught up in a never ending cycle of trying to prove ourselves worthy based on standards that are constantly shifting. No wonder so many of us are exhausted all the time. No wonder President Nelson has encouraged us to take a break from the perspectives of the world that have been wounding our spirits! (Nelson, Russell M. “Sisters’ Participation in the Gathering of Israel,” Ensign, October 2018). The ups and downs of life feel so much more drastic, so much more disastrous, when we allow every struggle, mistake, bit of bad luck, or slip-up to take a notch out of our value.
Imagine I am holding a $20 bill in each of my hands. One is crisp and new, straight from the mint. The other has obviously been around the block a bit. It’s dirty and crumpled and even ripped in a few places.
The question I ask you is, what is each of these bills worth? And the answer, of course, is twenty dollars. Regardless of what they look like or where they’ve been, both bills have the constant value of $20.
The same is true for you. Your value is a constant. Regardless of what your past looks like, where your family comes from, what you look like, or what mistakes you’ve made, you are of infinite worth to your Father in Heaven.
But don’t take my word for it. Ask Him yourself.
Our Divinely Based Worth
Value Beyond Measure
You Matter to Him
