Value|

Value: {The worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of some medium of exchange.}

Today, on this uncharacteristically warm day in January, I would like to share with you my lessons on the meaning of value in my life.

These past few months have felt like a mixture of a spark of excited emotion and yet a feeling of drifting through a heavy, thick fog.

A week before Christmas, I found myself in the ER being tested for a heart attack. As I lay there, quietly afraid, I was being asked questions like, "Do you smoke? Do you drink excessively? Do you do illicit drugs?" And I confidently answering, "No. I'm 24 year old. I'm healthy. I'm conscious of what I put in my body. I exercise"

The weeks continued and the questions as to what was wrong with my body still remain unanswered. This recollection of events is not to be misread as a ploy for sympathy, but rather insight into the beginning of my journey.

Life is fragile. It is here one moment and gone the next. As I lay in bed those 5 long days trying to rest and recover from my health scare, I began to look at the meaning of value in my life.

What do we classify as valuable? What moments do we treasure, what conversations do we put extra effort into because we know that we are adding value to that persons' life? What passions inspire you? What makes you feel alive? Because, honestly, at the end of your life, whether it is at the wonderful age of 80 or the young age of 24, what are you doing?

Entering 2013 has brought me a completely different insight then any other year. It has sobered me, enriched me, forgiven me, inspired me and loved me. I could write endlessly of people who have touched me deeply in my life. People who possibly had no idea that they made such a profound impact. An unsuspecting kindness, a note, a gesture, a hug, a laugh, a coffee. Adding value to our lives and others comes at a price, but it is not the kind of price you would anticipate. It comes at the price of humility and honesty. It comes with allowing yourself to be needed and to let others extend grace to you. It comes from reading a book with your 3 year old nephew in a warm,well light library. It comes from writing a letter to someone you love, encouraging them to pursue their gifts, to continue to touch the world with their talents. It comes from going for a walk on a sunny, wintry afternoon and capturing the sun reflecting on the ice covered water. It comes from laughing at yourself and realizing that your humor is unique, and ridiculously cheesy. It comes from reaching out to a soul that is tired and needing breath of newness.It comes from letting go of someone you love fiercely, because you know that their life is meant to be lived fully and without you. It comes from acknowledging that you are not inferior, but that sometimes it's ok to ask for help. That needing someone doesn't make you weak, it makes you human.

As this next year commands my attention, effort, love and faith, I choose to approach it with grace, with faith in a loving God, with respect for my humanity and the boundaries of my abilities. I pray that I may have to discretion to know when a moment is one worth spending more time on and when a situation does not bring value or encourage growth in my life.

If you are reading this, you have value. You are placed on this earth with a purpose and you must fiercely explore the things that make you feel alive. Search for them, discover them, open your heart to them. We are most uninspired when we are not giving and allowing ourselves to receive. Be brave, be kind, be honest.

Thank you, friend. Thank you, kind soul. Thank you, stranger. Thank you, my loves.

You have given my life immense, rich, life giving value.