How To Stop Feeling Worthless
More Valuable Than a Tulip Bulb: Discovering Your True Worth
What is the most valuable thing you own? Maybe it’s an heirloom with deep sentimental value, or perhaps it’s something with immense intrinsic value—like a precious metal or a rare piece of art. The way we value things is constantly shifting, often swayed by popularity, as history shows.
Think back to the Beanie Babies craze or even the infamous Tulip Mania in 17th-century Netherlands. For a brief, dazzling time, the beautiful, virus-streaked tulip bulbs became coveted luxury items, their prices soaring so high that one report claims someone traded 12 acres of land for a single bulb!
It was the world’s first speculative market bubble, and when it burst, people were left holding beautiful flowers that were suddenly worth next to nothing. The value of an object can rise and fall depending on popularity or what someone is willing to pay. But what about the value of a person?
Your Unchanging Value in God's Eyes
The good news is that unlike a Beanie Baby or a rare tulip, your value in the eyes of God never changes.
At Psalm 16, the ancient songwriter discovers a profound truth about our identity: We are valued by God. This isn't because of our popularity, performance, or inherent 'sparkle,' but because of God’s deep, unwavering love for us.
The Psalmist begins by declaring his exclusive devotion: "LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure." He expresses a joyful contentment, not in temporary wealth or fleeting fame, but in his relationship with the divine.
He paints a metaphor of a perfect inheritance, saying, "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." This isn't about an earthly plot of land that needs constant upkeep and repairs. This is a rich, defect-free, and eternal heritage—communion with God Himself.
The Joyful Inheritance
Because of this relationship, the Psalmist finds a joy that cannot be taken away, even by death. His heart is glad and his tongue rejoices because God will not abandon him. He realizes that a life fully devoted to God brings a new understanding of true value.
Centuries later, the Prophet Isaiah would use powerful imagery to describe God’s view of His people, referring to them metaphorically as the city of Jerusalem. He writes that God will hold His people for all to see, as a "splendid crown in the hand of God," and give them the new name, "The Bride of God."
This powerful language suggests that God values His people the way a groom values his bride—as a treasure to be cherished, protected, and shown off. You are His trophy, His delight, His valued heir.
Ultimately, the message of Psalm 16, as explained by the apostles Peter and Paul, points us to Jesus Christ. It is through faith in Him that we are adopted as God’s children and written into His will to receive this inheritance of eternal communion.
Your hope in Christ gives you a value that no market crash, fickle trend, or worldly opinion can ever diminish. When you trust in Jesus, nothing—"neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers... will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).
This is a truth worth more than all the gold and all the rare tulips in the world.
What does it mean to you to know that your value in God's eyes never changes?
