I Appreciate You!

I worked on it for days in my 3rd grade art class. Our assignment was to make a unique object out of clay. It could be anything we wanted and I distinctly remember my artistic vision: a wooly sheep treasure box. In my mind, it was a true masterpiece! First, I shaped the container…a base (the body of the sheep) and a removable lid (the head and back of the sheep) and then I carefully crafted its curly coat with tiny strands of clay placed all over.

After it baked, I painted my little creation. Nevermind that it had no legs and no tail and looked a bit more like a zombie-goat than a fluffy sheep–I was so proud of it. When I gave it to my mom, you’d have thought that I had given her a true objet d’art. She gushed on and on about how beautiful and special it was! It’s been close to 40 years since I fashioned that one-of-a-kind treasure box and I’m pretty sure Mom still has it. She appreciated the odd little sheep, but even more, she appreciated the little 8-year-old girl who made it.

What does it mean to appreciate someone or something? When I think of the word “appreciate”, I typically put it together with gratitude or thankfulness. I’ll say to myself, “I really appreciate so-and-so for what he-or-she did for me” and what I mean is that I’m thankful for what that person did because it meant a lot to me. That’s definitely one way to look at the word–and it’s important, too! The Bible tells us to give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of Jesus (Ephesians 5:20). Gratitude is a quality of a Christ follower.

But, I want to take just a minute to look at it another way. To appreciate someone or something is to know and understand his, her, or it’s worth. I appreciate a person because I recognize that he or she has value. This takes out any selfish angle that might be found inside of appreciation. In other words, it’s not having appreciation because of something someone has done for me, it’s appreciation that exists simply because that someone is intrinsically precious.

Sometimes those two things go together. My mom appreciated my gift because I gave it to her as a gift AND because she loves me. We appreciate Jesus because of what He did for us AND because He is worthy. But sometimes, I think, we need to appreciate people not because of any other reason except that we recognize their value.

God does. God appreciates people because he sees the value of every soul. When He looks at you and me, and anyone else, He sees people who are worthy–worthy because of the sacrifice of His Son.

When I understand that just as Jesus died for me, He also died for my neighbor, my co-worker, and every stranger I pass on the street. When I understand that He died for souls–not for specific political parties, nationalities, ethnicities, socioeconomic classes or any other group that we use to categorize people. He died for all people, because we all sin, and God wants us all to be saved. When I understand that, how can I not appreciate others?

I don’t have to agree with someone to see their value. I don’t have to like the choices that someone makes to recognize that they have worth. I can appreciate someone because I know that they are loved by God, they were made in the image of God, and they have an eternal soul that is precious to God.

To appreciate others I need to look deeper. I need to really, really see them as they are seen by God. I need to step inside their shoes and walk around a bit. I need to try to see the world through their eyes. I need to be generous with compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and love…oh, so much love!

Be mindful of how you treat people. Appreciate others–they way God does. Choose to see the value and the worth of everyone: the people you see everyday, the people you see only once, and the people you never see but whose words you read in tweets and posts and snaps. Love people…that’s what Christians do! Make it your mission to look wayyyy past the zombie-goat and see the heart of the person behind it.