Learn your true worth

The other day I was waiting at a car dealership for them to finish a minor repair. As I sat in the waiting area I noticed a young man and woman with a relatively new baby.

They were talking with a sales representative. I couldn’t tell how far along in the negotiation process they were, but they seemed fairly well engaged.

After I enjoyed a small snack and a cup of coffee, I noticed this couple walking toward the door. Just outside the door was a beautiful white minivan. The huge smile on the young mother’s face told me they had just sealed the deal and purchased the vehicle.

As I watched, the smile never faded. Her husband got into the driver’s seat. The baby was secured in the back of the vehicle. Mom got into the passenger seat. As they got ready to drive away, there were smiles all around and off they went.

I was struck by the look of utter joy on the face of that young mother. It was like she had received a pearl of great price. Excitement as well as contentment seemed to flow from her.

That is the look I sometimes see on people’s faces when they come to realize they are truly loved by God. It is the look when our Lord enters their hearts and they realize all their past mistakes have been forgiven by God. It is the look of knowing you have received exactly what you needed all along and finally came to realize it.

Has that smile come across your face — the smile that demonstrates you know you are loved by God, that the Lord has entered your heart, that you know your past mistakes are forgiven?

If it has, you know to what I am referring.

If it hasn’t, perhaps now is the time to explore what it’s all about. Because what it comes down to is recognizing your true worth in the eyes of God. And that, my friend, is a gift really worth smiling about.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Learn your true worth