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I don’t know about you, but I love a good milkshake. Anything from plain vanilla, strawberry or chocolate, to a berry milkshake with all the lashings of cream, ice cream, and butterscotch brittle.
Recently I was diagnosed with a heap of food intolerances, which means I had to find some new alternatives seeing as dairy, soy, corn and wheat and banana – just to name few …are off the list. I jumped on Google and Pinterest and couldn’t believe my eyes!
Have you ever had a freak shake?….A huge milkshakes, laden with cakes and donuts, chocolate and pretzels… They went crazy viral at one point, some people even add stuff like roast chicken to make their freak shake special. And people are willing to pay big bucks …upwards of $12...for just one shake! I guess people are willing to pay a lot for something they think is special.
But what about you? What are you worth?
Lots of people have spent a great deal of human and financial resources calculating the composition and the worth, or worthlessness of the human body. When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person’s skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50 –That means you’re cheaper than the average Freak Shake! I bet you feel special now!
Have you ever even thought about that? ….who you are and what makes you special?
It’s funny, whenever I’m out speaking and I ask someone who they are, or what is special about them, they often go to stuff like, “I’m Fred, and I’m a Doctor” or “I’m Julie and I can sing” or I’m Jane and my husband says I’m a great cook”.. we go to what we do, what we’ve done, or what people say about us to define who we are and what we’re worth, and there’s huge dangers in that.
Have you ever felt like a piece of dirt?
I have...as a child I suffered emotional abuse and abandonment, told repeatedly that I was stupid and that I would never amount to anything. I felt like that a lot.
When I first turned to the bible to try to get some encouragement it wasn’t looking too good. I looked at the first book of the bible - which is called the book of Genesis, and do you know what it told me? It told me that I AM DIRT! It says that God took the dirt of the earth and He formed a man. He breathed into the man and he became a living soul, a human being. And I thought, well what kind of hope do we have when we came from dirt; are we just a piece of clay, we really don't have any worth.
And I thought, Why would God even do that? Why would He take a piece of dirt that’s worth nothing and make something out of it? And then that very thought hit me!
He took a piece of dirt, that was worth nothing, and He made it into something amazing. I mean anyone can look at a human body and see how intricate it is. Like how our eyes work, the fact that our heart beats to keep us alive, the fact that every cell contains DNA that determines everything about our personality and how our body looks and functions.
Then I started to read some other things in the bible that really caught my attention. And I started to seek out what other things God might have to say. I came across verses like this:
“I have loved you with an everlasting love, with loving kindness I have drawn you to myself” -Jeremiah 31:3
When I read that I thought really? God’s love is forever? He loves me and He draws me with that love and He wants to have a real relationship with me?
Those verses just started to change my life! Like this one:
“All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose” and I thought, have You called me, do You have a plan for my life? -Romans 8:28
Then I realised something about the dirt, it wasn’t actually dirt, it was clay. And I thought about a lump of clay and what an artist or a potter can do with a lump of clay. It starts off as this ugly, slimy blob of nothing, and I related to that. I felt like an ugly, slimy blob of nothing that had no purpose. But you know what? An artist or a potter can take that blob, and mold it and shape it into something exquisite, something beautiful.
And that's exactly what God does with us.
He takes us in our most horrible mess and turns it into something beautiful.
As I read all of these verses, I realised that God does have a purpose for me, that the bible is true and that God loves me...this changed everything. It changed the decisions I made, it changed how I looked at the relationship I have with other people, the selfishness and the self focus started to turn outward. I never knew who I was or what I was worth until I met Jesus.
Some people are willing to pay $12 for a freak shake, but God paid more than what the world says you are worth. He didn't just pay a big price for you...He gave everything He had – He gave His own life when He died for you. He loves you so much that He wants to be with you forever in heaven, to never ever be apart from you.
You see, the world can’t see your value because that’s not where it’s found. Your value, you’re potential in it’s true sense, can only be found in the heart of God...your Creator. The Author of the universe is the only One who can truly set your value.
As for me, who am I? My name is Danni, and I am a precious daughter of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; walking a journey of faith in joy, with hope of a bright future. I am called and gifted by God, according to His good purpose to pass the message of freedom in Jesus to others. …And I am loved beyond comprehension …and so are you.
-Danni
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© 2017 by Danni Synot. All rights reserved
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