What Are You Worth?

Andrew Belfield
March 8, 2023

What Are You Worth?

Andrew Belfield
March 8, 2023

Recently I was introduced to someone during a social get together and the opening conversation was “He’s the richest person in the town”. My response was not what he expected; I responded by asking him was he the richest because he was the happiest or the wisest or healthiest or because of his net financial worth?

It created a fascinating conversation about what we mean by ‘what are you worth?’

In a business context that question would often relate to how big your company is or what sort of cars and houses you have or what toys you can play with. I think that the question ‘What are you worth?’ is probably thought about more than it is asked but all of us want to feel valued to feel we are worth something and that we have a healthy understanding of self worth.

If reports are to be believed Ronaldo is paid £73,000 an hour, yep an hour, before any endorsements he may have. Most people would look at those figures and either imagine what it would be like to be valued that much or think it is obscene. Some may say he’s worth it due to what he brings on the field and more importantly what he attracts in kudos or investment.

In biblical terms the Kingdom seems to turn a lot of what we naturally see as success, accumulation, and influence in much smaller soundbites. Think of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the widows oil, all seemed to be insignificant and small and yet there is a focus on finding the small seemingly at the detriment of the many. What are we to learn through this? Do we view our worth or value in such a transactional mechanism that we miss the point of our identity in Christ as sons and daughters? Do we treat our faith more transactionally than relationally? Do we exchange our activity in our business context as merely secular without understanding that every space is sacred. What if we expect the fruit of the spirit to fill every conversation, every decision, every space?

Some of the richest people I have ever met don’t always have much money. They seem to have understood about how much they are worth much more than what is in their bank account. They seem to have learned what it is to be content whether they have much or little, they seem to have come to an understanding about their identity. They seem to have grasped a principle of being stewards and not owners of all they have. How much are you worth is a question all of us could benefit from reflecting on.