Sometimes when I read the Bible, I can get “fuzzy” on the details of what I’m reading since it’s something I’ve seen much of my life. Jesus’ parables and teachings can become too familiar when I allow my brain to think “I’ve seen this before; got it; next topic.” Yet, the Spirit breaks through my fog now and again. He shows me new things from old verses.

That’s what happened to me this week as I was reading and learning Matt. 6:22-26. I found myself drawn to verse 26 as if I’d never read it before. It says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

When you read that question, I hope you pause to answer it. It’s a rhetorical question from Jesus. The answer is “yes, we are more valuable than the birds.” Now instead of moving on to the next verse, pause and think about all that the verse implies. The holy, transcendent God values you.

Your true worth is not determined by what you eat or what you wear. Your true worth is bound up in how valuable you are to your Father in heaven. If you are a human being, then look and see your value in what God gave in love to the world – his one and only Son, Jesus. If you are a Christian, then see your value in your adoption as a son or daughter of your Father in heaven. See your value as part of the larger Christian community, the church, in that Christ is the groom and the church, his bride.