What's Your Value?

photo © 2010 bixentro | more info (via: Wylio)
So I've only participated in the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival a couple of times, but there is a huge list of words that have been selected well in advance which generally gives each writer time to gather their thoughts and write something ahead of time.

This week's word is "sacrifice" and an empty draft with that as the title has been sitting in my folders mocking me for two weeks now. I'm not sure what it is about this word that has tripped me up so much, but nevertheless, every time I've sat down to write, I've ended up deleting everything that comes out. 
So in a last ditch effort to find something, I went to dictionary.com and typed in sacrifice. And one definition jumped out at me:

a loss incurred in selling something below its value

I think I might do this.

Not so much with merchandise. We have a tendency in our home to use stuff until it's pretty much over. There aren't a lot of items around here that we could sell below value. It was either never very valuable to begin with or any value has been lost because it's been through the rigors of six people using it. 
But I do sell myself short sometimes. 
When I don't follow through with projects, it's generally because I have little confidence in my ability to actually make a difference. I worry that it won't live up to expectations of others. I see people who are more talented, more articulate, more beautiful, more successful and base my worth strictly in relation to what I imagine theirs must be. And in so doing, I sacrifice my own value at the alter of comparison.
This should not be.
I love what God says to the people of Israel in Isaiah:

"Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end— Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior. I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Cush and Seba thrown in! That's how much you mean to me! That's how much I love you! I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you." (Isaiah 43:1-4, The Message)

God made a sacrifice of his Son so I don't have to sacrifice myself. My value isn't based on others. It's not based on me. It's based on a God who would sell the whole world for me. If He thinks I'm worth that, perhaps I can begin to see that in myself.
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Do you sell yourself short? How do you see your true value?
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This is a part of the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival hosted by Peter Pollock. You can read more posts about sacrifice and submit your own here.