No. 77 - WHAT'S YOUR WORTH?

No. 77
Jim Davidson...NEWSPAPER COLUMN

WHAT'S YOUR WORTH?

If you have ever struggled with your self-esteem, your identity as a person and your value to yourself and others, I believe you will be interested in what I have to share. Because I have been so blessed with loving parents, great teachers, pastors and others through the years, who have helped me to truly understand my own self-worth and value as a human being, I count it among my greatest blessings to, in turn, help others realize just how special they really are.
Make no mistake!! What I'm talking about here is a real sales job! If you don't like yourself as a person, don't feel like you have much value as a human being and don't have much self-confidence, then I'm going to do my dead level best to help you to change that. First, let's understand that you are indeed "unique" as a human being, as science has proven that of all the six plus billion people in the world today, no other person is just like you. Your finger prints, voice print, DNA and other forensic tests prove this is true. Yes, you are special, whether you believe it or not.
Next, according to the Bible, in Genesis 1:27, you were created in the image of God. When you can understand and believe that you were created in the image of an all loving, all wise and all powerful God, and that he loved you enough to send His only Son to die for you, you will view yourself and others in a way that you have never viewed them before. While there are those who will disagree with what I've said, listen to these words by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower: "It takes no brains to be an atheist. Any stupid person can deny the existence of a supernatural power, because man's physical senses cannot detect it, but there cannot be ignored the influence of conscience, the respect we feel for moral law, the mystery of first life on what must have been a molten mass, or the marvelous order in which the universe moves us about on this earth. All of this evidence is the handiwork of a beneficent deity. For my part, that deity is the God of the Bible and of Christ, His Son."
Please understand that your worth to God is already assured. You count and you matter to Him. It's wonderful if you were fortunate enough to have loving parents, but if you weren't or don't, they will be held accountable and the same is true or all other members of your family. As the saying goes, "You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your kinfolks." Now it comes down to your worth to yourself, to others and to society. At this point, it's up to you to take the ball and run with it.
To demonstrate what I mean, I want to share something titled, What's Your Worth? Think about this for a moment: "A small bar of iron is worth about $5.00 to start with, but made into horse shoes, this same bar is worth about $10.50; made into screw drivers, it may be worth about $250.00; made into needles, this same bar of iron could be worth about $3,250.00; while made into balance springs for watches, its worth could go up to $250,000." This same thing is true for another kind of material -- Y-O-U. Your value is determined by what you make of yourself.
When you know and understand who you are and truly believe that you are very, very special, you will have that "inner peace" that will help you deal with the negative things that come along. You will have a feeling of genuine self-respect which is to be mentally faithful to yourself. When you can do that, you are on your way to a much happier and richer life. The great news is, IT'S SELDOM TOO LATE TO START ! (Jim Davidson is a motivational speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034)