VALUABLE IN HIS EYES

Hey there! Dana Corbit here. I was watching an interview this morning with Novak Djokovic, winner of the 2011 Men's US Open. His value in the game of tennis was determined on the battlefield of competition. The interview reminded me of a subject I have thought about for a long time: why we presume to rank ourselves and others in some hierarchy of worth. Okay, some of it is practical. The whole women-and-children-first concept makes sense in a sinking ship for the preservation of life. But who are we to determine that any man or woman, each made in God's image, is of more value than the next. Is the successful businessman more valuable than the homeless man living on the street? What about a mother or her childless friend? Or the minister next to his agnostic neighbor? All are God's creations and precious in His eyes. Shouldn't He be the only one with the authority to determine their true value? In the "Parable of the Workers," Jesus says "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" Matthew 20:16 (NIV). Who are we to decide? I explored this idea in my September book, SAFE IN HIS ARMS. My hero, Trooper Joe Rossetti, pulls the heroine, Lindsay Collins, from her car first in an accident where he is unable to save her sister. Only Lindsay believes Joe saved the wrong sister. Her reasons are more complex than that her sister is a mother and she isn't. She has spent a lifetime living in her sister's shadow and truly believes her sister's life is more valuable. So Lindsay must grow to the point of realizing that if she is truly a believer, she must learn to love herself as one of God's creations. My story's message is that we are all worthy of being the person who someone saves first, even when not all victims can be saved. We are all worthy of love. I know. It's pretty deep stuff for me, but I have my moments. I loved the concept, and I loved writing that story. I hope you enjoy it, too. Have a great day and know that you are special and precious, a creation from God Himself!