worth and an exhortation

"You can measure your worth by how much you are missed when you leave." This is a quote from a friend of mine, which is likely misquoted a tad, but you get the point. I don't think this person was trying to convey the extreme of what the quote could mean. Instead the quote makes a brash statement to make a point. We obviously may have worth whether or not people realize it and whether or not we are missed at all. However, the element of truth in the statement is that when someone leaves a group of people, they leave a hole that is difficult, and often times impossible to fill. If you don't leave any mark behind you when you leave, the "worth" or relevancy ("worth" may be too strong of a word) of the person is to be questioned or at least (self) examined. Our worth as human beings goes over and above what someone's perceptions of us are thank goodness! But why do I bring this up? When I left my last church I didn't feel a great sense of worth as nobody missed me or seemed sad I was going. No cards, no calls, nobody seemed to care, even when i didn't show up for 8 straight weeks. When a good guy dies, there should be a hole, people should be sad. When a good guy leaves, there should be a hole, people should be sad. I'll be sorely missed by people, even on a personal level, at my work. I believe I was and am missed by friends at the college that I went to. But for some reason, there was no sense of sadness to see me leave my church. I asked many people for some help to house me on random days throughout the week as I stay in the north shore to work (though I live in Gardner) and those that had the most room in their houses, those that I thought I was the closest to, were the ones that offered no help. Micah Baker, Melinda Corey, and Karen Wood. These three people were willing to house me off and on, but not consistently. I am grateful for them, because it was DEMORALIZING not being able to find someone to house me. Tom Lovell, who perhaps had the least amount of room out of anyone is currently housing me every single night that i need a place to stay. He gave me a key to his place and wants me to feel at home. I am humbled by his generosity.

As I finish, I am reminded of how fragile I am, and many others as well. We may have many talents and gifts, but how much it helps for someone to believe in you and see value in you! Sometimes, that makes all the difference in the world. Sure we should all be sure of ourselves, and be firm in who we are in Christ, but it's not always that easy. So instead of talking down to others or focusing on weaknesses, let's all try to see the value in others and find ways to help people feel special and help them realize that they are special.