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Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Matthew 10:31
Reflect
A story is sometimes told about a young man named Jim who went in search of work one summer and was hired by a prosperous Ohio farmer named Worthy Taylor. Whether the story is history, legend or something in between is hard to know. But like many old stories, it has survived because it feels true.
The farmer never knew much about the boy except his first name and that he was a hard worker. Throughout the summer, Jim made himself useful with such tasks as cutting firewood, milking the cows and whatever else was asked of him. He took his meals in the family’s kitchen, and he slept in the barn.
By the end of the summer, something Mr. Taylor had not expected also happened – Jim and the farmer’s daughter had fallen in love. Hat in hand, Jim asked for Mr. Taylor’s blessing for their marriage, but the man refused. After all, Jim was just a farmhand with no money and no real prospects of amounting to much in life.
Disheartened, Jim packed up his few belongings and left the farm. More than 30 years passed, and according to the old story, Mr. Taylor was one day pulling down hay from the loft in his barn. Carved into one of the rafters was Jim’s full name – James A. Garfield, who by then had been elected the 20th President of the United States.
During those three decades, Garfield graduated near the top of his college class, served as the president of Hiram College, served as a major general for the Union army during the Civil War and was elected to Congress before being elected President. Whether or not every detail of the old story can be proven, the lesson rings true. People are often poor judges of another person’s worth. The farmer saw a hired hand, a poor boy with no obvious future. He failed to recognize the value standing right in front of him.
Regardless of how the world perceives your value, we serve a Lord who knows exactly what you are worth. He sees more than your present circumstances, your reputation, your failures or your humble beginnings. He sees the whole person. He sees what He created. He sees what He can redeem. He sees how you can grow, serve and fit within His Kingdom.
In fact, He considered us worth redeeming, even at the cost of His own life. On top of that, He knows all of our flaws and still sees the possibility of growth and service. Matthew himself might also have been considered by many as someone with no prospects in God’s kingdom. He was a tax collector, which meant he was despised by many of his own people. But Jesus saw more and called him to be a disciple, and Matthew became one of the apostles through whom Christ helped establish the early church.
You may have humble beginnings. You may not look like much to the world. Others may see only where you are, what you lack or what they assume you will never become. But our Lord can see through all of that. He knows your true value, and He knows exactly how you can fit within His Kingdom.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
