The Twenty Dollar Bill
Having been questioned by several members of his congregation about their worth to God, the Pastor decided to provide a simple example of how much we mean to our Holy Father in Heaven.
He stood before them one Sunday morning and simply reached in his wallet and pulled out a fresh twenty-dollar bill. He held it up before the people and asked, “Who would like to have this twenty-dollar bill?” Of course, all raised their hands. “Okay.”
He then crumpled-up the bill in his hand and held his fist up to the congregation. “Who would like to have what is in my hands?” Once again, all hands rose. “I see.”
After this, he threw the bill onto the floor and stepped on it with his boots. Now crumpled AND dirty, he picked it up off the floor by a corner of the bill and held it before his flock. “Okay, now… who would like to have this bill?” Once more, all hands raised.
“Okay, now maybe you understand but let me clarify just a little more for you.”
“God values us before we are even conceived. He Loves us unconditionally and never does our value to him decline no matter what the circumstances.”
He then pulls another twenty out of his wallet and holds it before his people. “This is us when we were created. Just like you, God wanted us then as, to Him, we had great value.”
Once again, he crumpled-up the bill and held up his fist. “This is us when we have sinned, become distraught or distracted by the ways of this world. Perhaps we were stricken with disease or any other affliction that may have turned our sights off God. Again, He still wanted us.”
Following his earlier actions, he again threw the crumpled bill on the floor, stepped on it and picked it back up by a corner of the bill. “This is us after we’ve turned our back on God. We’d forgotten His lessons; disobeyed his commandments and lived our own lives the way we saw fit. Again, God still wants us!”
What does this all mean?
We never lose value to God. No matter what we have done; what we may go through; or how badly we live our lives… If we are willing to turn around, God is surely there for us.
Love Him, Love the Son and Love one another as Christ Loved us as He instructed us to do as the 11th commandment