The unimaginable value of imperfections

 They may be in your car, in your piggy bank, or even in your pocket right now.  They are of immense value, more than you would ever think, and they may be near you without you ever knowing it.

My family recently enjoyed a great visit with my dad, reminiscing about old memories and good family times.  Before we left, he began giving the kids each a coin from Mom’s old coin collection.  Pennies from 1876, buffalo nickels, and mercury dimes were wonderful gifts, but the item that really nabbed my attention was one that Dad invested a lot of time looking for: a double-printed penny.  He shared that these mistakenly double-imprinted one-cent pieces could be valued at over $400 and are in circulation all around us today.  I’d never heard of a double-imprinted penny, so I asked Uncle Google about it.  Sure enough, a quick search showed that these mistakes from the US mint could be valued at upwards of $1,300!  There was one 1972 penny on eBay whose auction price was selling for $1,348.96. Can you believe that there is a flawed penny worth over $1,000!  Who knew that a mistake could cost so much?!  I wonder how many of you are going to dig through your coin collection jars to see if you have a valuable imperfection?

God is interested in valuable imperfections, too.  He doesn’t seem too interested in misprinted coins that could bring him more worth but rather paying something worthwhile for the sins of his creation.  Like the double-imprinted coin, our sins and mistakes are all around us in public circulation.  Yet, God is willing to give much more than $1,300 for our sins.  In fact, He’s already paid the most costly price He could come up to add us to His wonderful collection - the church.  He sacrificed part of Himself in the nature of the Son, Jesus Christ. Meditate on what is written in our Holy Scriptures about that costly transaction.

“For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:20

“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” – 1 Corinthians 7:23

“There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all.” - 1 Timothy 2:5b-6a

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us … so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” – Galatians 3:13-14

You are so valuable to God that He has paid the price for your sins and He’s been actively seeking you and the people around you to add to His collection.  Yet, when He adds you, you don’t sit on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.  You are reserved for a spot of value in heaven, with mansions and a crown so that you may enjoy being in His presence.

I imagine that you have family members who struggle with their value in this world.  They may be so beaten  up by the emotional and psychological effects their mistakes have left on their lives that they don’t feel like they deserve to be loved, cherished, and cared for. Take the lesson from the imperfect penny of great value and remind your family members that each and every one of them is valuable to God, in spite of their imperfections. Imperfect people are of value to God, and He is actively searching for those who would be added to His collection.

So, remember to treat your family members and neighbors as people of high value and worth, because, in God’s sight, they are.