Last week my family discovered a brand new hobby. We sat down in the living room, all of us holding some sort of internet device, and gathered whatever spare change we could find in our house. There were pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters EVERYWHERE. All six of us were surrounded by the hundreds of coins that were scattered around the floor, and we spent at least three hours examining them and looking up their rarity on our various devices. It was a blast! And we learned something really amazing too!
Did you know that everyday some of the coins that pass through our fingers might be worth tens, hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, and we don't even realize it?
For example, the 1969-S Double Die Penny, a penny where some of the coins made in that year were misprinted and have double lettering, is one of the rarest pennies in existence. One of these special pennies can be sold to collectors for around $20,000 or more!
Who knew that something so small, so old, and with such a tiny daily value could be so important and rare? And to think, all of that worth is simply because this penny was different and imperfect. I don't know about you, but I would sure like to be seen as valuable despite all of my imperfections. And the cool thing is, with each year the 1969-S Double Die Penny grows a little bit older, a little more rare, and therefore, gets even more valuable on the market. Crazy, right?
Anyway, these are the things I was mulling over yesterday, when God made an odd connection in my head.
I suddenly thought, "What if the value of a heart was measured in the same way as the value of a rare coin?"
Honestly, think about it. Imagine if the human heart was one of these pennies. When we enter this world we are totally unique. Unused, unbroken, full of life. Our brand new hearts, totally enveloped in Christ, start out pretty valuable on their own. We haven't known heartbreak, haven't given ourselves to anyone but God, and carry a beautiful innocence. Then we hit the teenage years, and life throws us for a new loop: Hormones. This is when things get particularly complicated. But if our heart's value was decided like a penny, that complicated nature might not be the case anymore...
What if there were several factors attached to the heart that could increase or decrease its rarity? For a penny, its good condition and appearance will raise or lower its worth depending on the year. What's inside matters too, since some pennies have a purer metal content than others.
What if that was the same for us? What if we started out with several gifts that God has given us to save and take care of? Gifts of physical and emotional affection? These are gifts such as thinking nonstop about a person we love, holding hands, a kiss, and any sort of sexual activity. But, of course, there would be a catch...
What if each of these gifts had a value of their own, and each time we used them they became less rare, and therefore, less valuable to the person who's eventually going to receive them?
If this was true, would I still be so eager to give in to the butterflies caused by romantic hand holding? Would refraining from a kiss still be a struggle? Would sex and physicality still be normal in our culture, or would it be a treasured gift to be reserved for someone who knows its true value?
This idea caught me totally by surprise, and to be honest, it made me sad. If doing these things really did bring down our value, then where would I stand on the market? I've never kissed or beyond, but I have broken boundaries of affection that I knew I shouldn't have. Boundaries that I set in the first place! I've struggled with thinking about a guy more often than I think about God. I've emotionally invested into a few different relationships that I knew weren't good for me.
So, if my heart's value was based on it's rarity, would it be the 1969-S Double Die, or just an average everyday penny?
To be totally honest, I didn't like my results.
Even if you haven't done anything more than just thinking impurely, everyone has made mistakes in this department. So does that mean everyone has decreased value? And what did this mean for those who have given everything away, or who have been enslaved to the sex trade and don't have a choice? Surely, that couldn't mean that their value is totally spent, and that they aren't rare beauties anymore. Why would God show me all of this if that were true?
As usual, God had a purpose for this thought process, and he wasn't finished with the penny analogy either.
Because, just like a rare penny, each year we commit to honoring God with our whole hearts, our value increases.
You know what that means, right?
It means that, no matter how much you've given of yourself in the past, it's never too late to bounce back. As soon as you give that past to God and begin a new journey of purity, your heart will instantly have its original value. Then you can start rebuilding your reputation for rarity (and increase the value of your heart)! It's as if none of the past lust, regret, and heartbreak had ever existed! How fantastic is that? My heart soared at the thought, and I was so gloriously blessed by the undying grace of the King. I've tried my best not to make mistakes, but they still happen.
The difference this idea made for me is that I don't have to view myself, or anyone else for that matter, as a poor broken heart anymore. Instead we are beloved! Forgiven! We are children of the King, and we've been washed clean!
But be warned... To some people you'll still be seen as nothing more than an old, used heart. When that happens, just remember:
Even the rarest penny appears average to those who don't know what to look for.
The right person will value the change in you (no pun intended), will notice the signs of your rare heart, and will treasure you because of it. And someday, when you say "I do" with that one you've saved your heart for, the rare nature of your relationship will be evident to everyone that witnesses it, and they'll wonder what's different. You'll be able to celebrate pure, white as snow passion, and you'll celebrate it together. What a beautiful depiction of mercy!
I don't know about you, but starting now I want to work toward my heart becoming as rare as it can be. I'm talkin 1969-S Double Die rare! It's going to take acceptance of my past, repentance in the present, and some work and resistance in the future. But in the long run I believe it'll be worth it, especially if God introduces a fellow rare heart into my life that desires that same purity.
Well, I hope this random little thought process was helpful to someone today. I'm a creative person by default, so having an illustration like this one really helped me understand things a little better. I know it definitely gave me some proper perspective. Have a blessed week!
P.S. My first book signing is this Saturday (August 8th, 2015) at the Hastings Way Caribou Coffee in Eau Claire! Come by and see me from 1-3pm! Thanks!
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