Tossed Aside

Read: Genesis 16:1-13

How would someone know if we value someone or something? That question no doubt has more than one answer, but one way we display our feelings about anyone or anything is how we treat it. A few examples.

My Grandpa Shively was a car guy before that term became well known. He really took care of his cars. They were shiny in and out, and he kept them in good running order. Keeping them serviced as needed. Even those who sold used cars knew that to be true, and more than one dealer asked him to bring his car to his establishment when it was time for grandpa to purchase another one. No one would ever say that Grandpa Shively didn't value his cars.

Now, let's look at the flip side. For that, let's think way back to the TV program Little House on the Prairie and the character Nellie Olesen. Remember Nellie? What a mean girl, and no wonder. Her character was a compilation of three girls with whom Laura Ingalls had had run-ins. In the episode I am remembering Laura had gone to visit Nellie. They had spent time in Nellie's room with all of its beautiful furnishings and toys. Laura had just had a birthday, and she had been disappointed because she received a dictionary. A practical gift, but it wasn't what she had wanted. She had longed for a doll! In Nellie's room in the corner tossed aside, was a beautiful doll. One Laura would have cherished that simply was not appreciated by Nellie. Her abundance had caused her to be indifferent, and by the way she treated her doll, that was evident.

Cars and dolls. They can be valued or not without too many lasting consequences, but what about people? In the verses we will highlight today, we'll be reminded that people shouldn't be tossed aside like unwanted dolls and about the Lord Who doesn't do that.

In Genesis 16:1-13, we meet Hagar, Sarai's servant. When Sarai and Abram were unable to have a child after ten years, Sarai took matters into her own hands. She chose to give Hagar to Abram as a wife. A practice that was part of what the nations around them did; however, it was not God's plan or desire. Hagar had no say in this matter, and it is a reminder that our impatience, no matter how we might be able to identify with Sarai and Abram's weariness, often results in added pain. That was the case with Sarai and Hagar. When Hagar knew she had conceived, she had contempt for Sarai. So, as often happens, Sarai blamed her husband, Abram. Putting the ball in his court. What did Abram do? He passed the ball back to Sarai. After all, as Abram reminded his wife, Hagar was her servant. That meant that Sarai could do to her whatever she wanted to do; so, Sarai treated her maidservant harshly. Although she wasn't sent away, it is obvious that Hagar wasn't valued. Except that she was there to provide a child for Sarai and Abram. So, Hagar fled. I'm so glad the story doesn't end there because if it had, we might not have met the One Hagar came to know. The Living One Who saw her. The One Who knew her situation. The One Who knew what she needed to do and the One Who knew both her future and the future of the child she was carrying. The One Who cared what happened to her and the One Who valued her. Yes, she was still and would continue to be Sarai's maidservant, but she was known by God. Yes, she was to return and submit to Sarai, but the One Who saw her told her that there was a plan for her son. If she still had to live with less than favorable circumstances, Hagar now knew that she was looked after, Genesis 16:13. She was valued. Perhaps not by Sarai, but by Someone so much more wonderful.

What about we who are alive now? Hundreds of years after Hagar. Most of us haven't experienced the kind of circumstances Hagar did, but many of us have felt, at one time or another, that we aren't valued. In addition to that, there are many other people, some whom we encounter on a regular basis, who have been treated as if they have no value. The cruel words and actions of others have left injuries in places that aren't easy to see. Sadly, feelings of not being valued are especially common among young people. These beliefs and feelings might not come from ill treatment; instead, a lack of close interactions might be fertile soil in which these thoughts can grow, but there is Good News. Believing ourselves to be worthless is painful, but it is a lie. A lie that can be overthrown by Truth, and in the Bible, we find a truth right in Genesis 1 that shatters the lie of having no value. In verses 26-27 of Genesis 1, we discover this most precious truth. We as human beings are each made in the image of God. We have been made with the possibility of having a real relationship with Him. That alone stamps us with value and honor. Although we enjoy the animals and plants God made, we have been made unique and valuable because we can come to know the LORD Who loves us.

That Was truth that Hagar discovered in today's scripture when she had an encounter with the Living One Who saw her, Genesis 16:13. Like Hagar, we all need to know that Someone loves and sees us. Someone Who knows even our flaws and cares enough to help us change. Someone Who knows the purpose He has for us and values us. All of these precious truths and so much more can be found in the Bible. Let's look at merely a few of them.

1. We have great worth to God. We know this because of 1 Peter 1:18-19. Here we discover the incredible truth that Jesus paid the price for our salvation through the shedding of His blood. He didn't give up something as trivial as silver or gold; instead, we are so precious to Him that He gave His life for us, 2 Corinthians 9:15.

2. He sees us. We know this because of Psalm 139:1-12. These verses remind us that God doesn't merely see us from afar the way someone might who is doing a cursory flyover simply to check the box that says He has done it. No, He sees us in minute detail. He knows our words and sees our actions and knows what our reactions will be. From little on, we want to be seen by the ones who love us. How good it is to know the truth that God's eyes are always on us.

3. We were created under the watchful care of God.  We know this because of Psalm 139:13-16. None of us, regardless of our family circumstances, is a mistake. We are God's handiwork. Created with purpose. Just as Hagar was told that the baby she carried had a destiny that God knew, each of us has been uniquely crafted by God with a purpose. If we receive His gracious gift of salvation, Ephesians 2:8-9, God will enable us to become more like Him and equip us to carry His plan out, 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:10.

4. God thinks about us. We know this because of Psalm 139:17-18. There we are reminded that His thoughts about us are as numerous as the sand on the seashore.

When a loved one is away, it is not uncommon for us to look for some form of communication. Will there be a text, e-mail, letter or phone message? A simple reminder that we are missed is so precious. Imagine it. God thinks of us. More than we can fathom.

Talk about being valued! Truths that can begin to tear down the lies.

Spoken by the One Who never lies, Titus 1:2.