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What Am I Worth?

What Am I Worth?

Last updated on: March 7, 2024 at 1:31 pm by Ben Bongers KM

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What Am I Worth? 2024-03-07T13:31:05-06:00 Ben Bongers KM

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What Am I Worth?

We are constantly bombarded by the question on social media, TV, and radio, “What are you worth?” Girls have been comparing themselves to Barbi, the latest pop star or the most-watched influencer, for years. Boys compare themselves to their favorite athletes, movie stars, or ultimate fighters. Even older men and women aren’t exempt from the comparison game. “Am I as pretty, strong, desirable as_____?” (fill in the blank with a known name here). So, what are you really worth?

Public Domain

What am I worth? Is it How I look that makes the biggest difference?

Physical Worth

If I were a slave in 1850 America, my adjusted approximate worth would be $40,000. If I were simply a cadaver, my body parts would be worth $5,000 on the open market. And if you took all the refined minerals out of my body (zinc, copper, silicon, etc.) I’d be worth $1. So, measuring someone’s worth must be figured by more than just their physical worth.

Public Domain

What am I worth? Is it my wealth that tells what I’m really worth?

Financial Worth

If I were Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, or Elon Musk, I’d be measured in my bank account. The median net worth of an American is $192,700, but the median net worth of someone in Zambia is $3,761. Does that make an American worth 51.25 times more than someone from Zambia?

Public Domain

What am I worth? Is it how smart I am that shows everyone my real worth?

Mental Worth

Surely, the “brain drain” and mental giants like Oppenheimer, Einstein, and Isaac Newton were worth more than you or me. So, how would we measure that? Possibly financially? Well, a top university professor (of which all three were) is $160,000 a year today. Okay, how about we measure physical worth? Hmm… Their physical worth was exactly the same as yours and mine. All right, what about notoriety? These scientists were widely unknown until they made world-changing discoveries, and even then, many people wouldn’t have been able to pick them out on the street until their pictures were splashed across the media of the day.

So, How Do I Measure My Worth?

Let’s look at what Jesus had to say about our real worth. In Luke 12: 24 He said, “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!” Jesus is saying that a human is worth more than an average animal who lives off the land. Worth is not about the financial or mental. Maybe it’s about personal beauty. What else does He have to say? “Truly I say to you, among those born of women, there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist!” (Matthew 11:11) Hmm… John the Baptist was not known for his beauty regime. So, no, it’s not physical looks. Wait, the verse goes on. What else does Jesus say about John? “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Wait, wait, wait… I thought John was worth a lot in Jesus’s eyes, and now He’s saying John is worth less than someone who was dead.

Public Domain

Everyone is born with worth. Every. Single. Person. There is no such thing as being worthless. The problem is many don’t take the time to find out where they really fit in.

What’s Real Worth

If real worth has to do with wealth, beauty, or intellect, then Solomon had it all. He was the Biblical trifecta—Good looks, brilliant mind, and the richest king of his day. Yet, he turned his back on God and followed the gods of his wives toward the end. We get a real hint in what Jesus claims as “real worth” in the second half of Matthew 11. He said, “…the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater…” Let’s look at that. Does Jesus mean you’re worth something only when you’re dead? No. So what’s the hint?

Real Worth

“…in the kingdom of heaven…” To make it into the kingdom of heaven means you must be worthy of heaven. In a word, a saint. He’s saying that real worth is only measured in your goodness, your faithfulness to God, and your ability to assist others in need. This is great news for all of us! It means I have worth if help my neighbor but only have my GED. It means I have worth if I live in subsidized housing yet find the time to help someone who came here from a foreign country. It means I have worth if I live in an assisted living facility, and all I can physically do is pray for my friends, family, and those in need.

Real worth isn’t what we own, look like, or how smart we are. No, real worth is measured by the size of our hearts, by how much we give in compassion and time to others in need, and by how we use the graces and gifts God has given us. So, the next time you look in the mirror, ask yourself, “What am I really worth?” Then, judge yourself according to what God says—not social media.

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About Ben Bongers KM

Ben Bongers was an international operatic tenor and practicing sommelier for 30 years based in San Francisco, CA, and Europe. He has written monthly articles for trade magazines in wine and singing over a long and lustrous career. After becoming a semi-full-time caretaker for his parents, he earned an MA in Gerontology (the study of aging and care) and was asked to publish in an eldercare textbook in 2020. He has written several books, all published by EnRoute Books and Media. His first novel, THE SAINT NICHOLAS SOCIETY, has won many awards, and his other two, TRUE LOVE—12 Christmas Stories My True Love Gave to Me, and THE FARMER, THE MINER, THE ARTISAN (a children’s book) are both up for writing awards. Ben is a Knight in the Order of Malta and helped start an overnight homeless shelter at his San Francisco, CA parish. Today, he is a Permanent Diaconate Candidate in Kansas City, MO. You can read more about the author here.

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