Taking stock

As the world continues to suffer through the worst economic crisis in my lifetime, we're constantly bombarded by financial news. One day, things appear to be desperately bad, with untold billions of dollars/euros/yen in market value evaporating. Yet, just a day or two later, these same worldwide markets are soaring after receiving some nugget of good news. The scrolling stock tickers on the news channels and business websites are a grim reminder of the world's current financial condition. I like to keep tabs of the stock prices of a few companies: Lionbridge (my employer), Nokia and Motorola (my major customers), and a few of my favorite companies like Apple.
The other day, after checking out the latest market results, I thought to myself: what if we all had a spiritual stock ticker? What if every time I yelled at yet another clueless driver, a red downward arrow appeared over my head? Or when I pray with Nicole at night for our friends, family and church, a green arrow popped up? Speeding?
Worse yet, what if there were actual numbers that showed my "spiritual value" to the rest of the world? How would I compare to my friends? Is James trading higher than Brian? What about Floyd? Is someone short-selling Howard?
Thankfully, none of these scenarios is a reality. As a child of God, my value was established more than 2,000 years ago, when Christ paid the ultimate price for me. Romans 5:8 tells us "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
As someone who was bought and paid for long, long ago by a loving God, I don't have to get caught up in my day-to-day value. Regardless of how many times I fail -- as a dad, husband, friend or employee -- God still sees me as blameless and perfect through the blood-colored lens of His grace.