Calculating My Value

By Byron Hamilton

In a recent interview with Rush Limbaugh, Chris Wallace, host of Fox News Sunday, asked the renowned conservative political commentator about the eight-year contract he had signed worth $400 million. He asked the incredulous question, “How can you possibly be worth that kind of money?” Rush responded:

Value is determined by what somebody will pay you to do what you do.... You’re worth whatever your value is, and that's determined by what somebody's willing to pay you for it. And the only reason I get that money is because the people who invest in me get results beyond their expectations.

The discussion of somebody’s value, based upon what another person is willing to pay for them, intrigued me. Some people are worth more than others. The 2009 infamous media exposé of Tiger Woods revealed the golf legend to have a net worth of $600 million, with his career earnings totaling over $1 billion! The recent 2010 Super Bowl saw ads being run at halftime worth approximately $100,000 per second! These are astounding figures—yet even with a staggering economy people are willing to pay them because of the value the commodity brings. With 100 million enthusiastic viewers glued to the television at half-time, that’s only 3 cents per viewer for a 30 second advertisement. Companies vying for the coveted halftime commercial spots bank on more than a 10% return for their investment.

I began to wonder what I was worth. Scientists tell me that the total monetary value of the elements in my body, including my skin, is approximately $4.50! So, based upon the current yield from the NY stock exchange, my chemical and mineral composition is worth about the same as a decent sized hamburger! Not much!

There’s nothing like the Easter season to help bring focus on our worth. As Rush Limbaugh said, it is truly based upon what someone is willing to pay for you.

When I consider that the great Creator of the universe was willing to offer the life of His only Son for my life, I regard myself of unimaginable worth. God’s selfless act was based upon the worth He saw in me even when I was unworthy.

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8).
Not only did Christ’s death restore me to relationship with my Creator, it was the means by which He endowed me with spiritual riches and a colossal current and future inheritance.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Easter is a great time of year for me to center on my value. I am worth more than the millions of dollars earned by sports figures and Hollywood stars. Because of this, God, my Father, has told me not to be anxious or fearful. He has declared me holy, chosen, a special treasure, His very own.
For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you… (Deuteronomy 7:6-8a).