Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31
“What is not measurable may be valuable beyond measure. Not allowing it to define us in the way that the tangible does in some way demeans us, or demeans those who do intangible things. Implicitly, we say they are lesser. Money shouts very loudly: ‘Look at me, look at me, see what I am doing and see how special I am.’ Mammon draws our gaze away from things that are more worthy of our attention, but have not been given the badge of a comparable monetary value.
I am reminded of a story I heard from a community in Nairobi. A local pastor, Pastor Luke Jakoywa, wanted to begin a school but he did not have the teachers he needed, nor the money to pay them with. One day, he approached a few young people in the neighborhood who were looking for employment, asking them if they were willing to help. He asked them, since they were spending the day doing nothing for nothing, would they be willing to do something (useful) for nothing? There was still no money to pay them but they would add enormous value to the local community, and use their gifts and talents to help others.
This is how Pastor Luke recruited teachers for his school. He showed the young people how to see value, to approach value and to ‘value’ it, in service to others. Seven years on, the school and community centre, called Sheepcare, has more than five hundred children in both primary and secondary education. The teachers draw a meagre salary, just enough to keep going, but the value of what they do – and the value of the skills they have – goes far beyond any financial value that can be applied to it.”
Luke Jakoywa story as recounted by Justin Welby in Dethroning Mammon: Making Money Serve Grace: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book 2017 (London: Bloomsbury, 2017) 40-41. I finished Welby’s book on my flight over the Pacific this week. It’s a winner!
Today between a lunch and a dinner meeting we got to do some island hopping in the Palawan region of the Philippines. We rode a boat like the one pictured above to two different islands.
What’s “value” got to do with generosity? We put money and deploy ourselves toward what we value. For example, after spending time in meetings, we valued some time outside today, so that meant taking a boat ride. The question is: Do we affix value on things like the world does, or do we think differently from world, such as valuing that which God values?
As we draw near to Holy Week, think about what God values. He values people. He values people so much He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. Do we value people like God does?
Pastor Luke Jakoywa’s example is inspiring! He valued people so much that he went to them and courageously asked them to give themselves toward others with him. How we live our lives can inspire others to value that which God values and give themselves generously toward others.