I once went to my bank to cash a check. One of the one dollar bills I received caught my attention. It was printed in 1988. On both sides of it, people who’ve had this dollar bill in their possession over the years have written their location on it:
Portland, Maine – 1992
Edgewater, Maryland – 1992
Mount Vernon, Ohio - 1993
Lexington Kentucky, Winchester Kentucky – 1993
There are more locations written on it, and I’m sure it’s been in many other places as well.
My mind began to imagine all of the things this dollar bill has been used for over the years. I pictured a mother in Maine giving this dollar bill to her child so they could buy a candy bar. A college student in Maryland using it to help pay for a Venti Cappuccino to get them through an “all nighter” preparing for a test. A basketball fan in Lexington using it to help buy a Coke at Rupp Arena. What a journey this dollar bill has been on. I can’t imagine all of the things it has been used for. What I do know is that it is showing signs of its age. It is worn and tattered. It wouldn’t take much to tear it, and it has obviously been folded up more times than I could imagine. The Federal Reserve definitely got its dollar’s worth out of this piece of paper.
That got me to thinking about my Christian life. I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ in 1981, and it has been an incredible journey! I know many of you reading this can say the same thing in your Christian life as well. We have seen a lot, and we have done a lot. The journey has taken us places we couldn’t have imagined. God has used us in ways we never dreamed possible. But just like that dollar bill, perhaps we’re beginning to feel our age. There are some days I look in the mirror and feel that I could pack my entire wardrobe in the bags under my eyes. In the past, I could rarely take a nap. Now I can take them without even planning on it (which is especially unhandy while driving!) But here’s my point: this dollar bill, for all of its signs of age, is worth just as much as the newest one dollar bill that just rolled off the printing press. It has lost some luster, but it hasn’t lost any value.
NEITHER HAVE WE.
I have said all of this to simply speak a word of encouragement to those who may need it today: it’s not too late for you. You are not too old. You still have value, and God can still use you mightily in His kingdom. If I feel tattered and torn, it is just a sign that I have lived a well-lived life. And even if I do feel tattered and torn, it doesn’t mean that I have lost my value - and neither have you. We are still in circulation, and there is still “Kingdom of God business” that we get to be a part of. There is still much work to be done, and we still get to be part of it. Jesus said this in John 4:35:
"Do you not say, 'There are four months, and then comes the harvest?' Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest."
As long as I have breath in my body, I want my life to bring honor to Jesus Christ. I want to be used for His glory in any way He deems best. Like that dollar bill, I may be showing my age, but I still want to be "spent" as God desires for as long as possible. I know many of you reading this feel the same way. So stay in circulation, stay in the hand of Jesus, and be ready for the next time He wants to "spend" you for His glory. He always makes wise investments.
