February
23
Tags
What is of Value–and Why?
Mark Wagner is a collage artist. Over 25 years ago, he cut up a dollar bill for the first time, not knowing what to expect. But once he started creating art out of money, he couldn’t stop. Today, Wagner makes collages entirely from one-dollar bills—and some of his pieces sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
One of his most well-known works is a tribute to the Statue of Liberty. It stands 17 feet tall and is made from nearly 82,000 fragments of dollar bills. Other works include Fit for a King and The Money Lisa. Pretty clever, don’t you think?
Wagner once said, “That’s one of the ironies of the work. People are so familiar with this object. They have their hands on it on a daily basis. And no one is really aware of what it looks like.”
His work invites us to take a second look at something we handle every day—a simple piece of paper that we place a great deal of value on.
I am reminded of an illustration about our own worth. Imagine I’m standing in front of a group of people holding up a $20 bill. I say, “I just got this $20 bill from the ATM yesterday. If I were to offer it to you, who would take it?”
I imagine many people would raise their hands.
Then I tear the bill and ask, “Who would take it now?” I crumple it up and ask again, “Who would take it now?” I throw it on the ground and stomp on it, and ask one more time, “Who would take it now?” Each time, I imagine many hands would still go up. Then I ask, “Why do you still want this torn, crumpled, dirty piece of paper?”
Because it’s still valuable. But why is it valuable? Is the paper worth twenty dollars? Is the ink worth that much money?
No.
The only reason this piece of paper is worth $20 is because the government of the United States—the one who created it—says it’s worth $20. That’s the only reason it has value.
The same goes for you.
No matter how much you’ve been torn up, crumpled, or stomped on by life, you still have value—because the One who created you is the one who determines your worth. The world is a counterfeiter. It tries to tell you that your worth is based on your success, your appearance, your productivity, your failures, or even your past. It whispers that your value can be earned—or lost.
Don’t be fooled. Only God knows your true worth, and he has gone to great lengths to show you how much you are valued.
Ephesians 2 tells us that we are God’s masterpiece. And a masterpiece is always valuable. In fact, you are priceless. Your Creator says so.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
—Ephesians 2:10
Featured art: Mark Wagner, Liberty; Fit for a King; and The Money Lisa. See more of his work at markwagnerinc.com