Have you ever been to a Target or Walmart? Unless you’ve been living in a cave in a remote part of the world, then I’m sure you have. We know these stores are filled with nice, brand-new items, yet we enter and make a mad dash to the clearance aisles where they put products on the shelves that are damaged, out of their regular packaging, or just stuff that didn’t sell and no one wants.  

We see the bright yellow and red price tags that have been marked with clearance prices and, in many cases, the tags also state, “as-is.”  This simply means the store has devalued the item because of its damaged or incomplete condition to quickly get rid of it.  We rush to these clearance aisles because we know we’ll find items of great value whose prices have been dropped to make way for newer, more appealing and attention-grabbing products.

Many times, in my life, I have felt like an "as-is" person. 

Maybe you have, too.

God knows our lives can be difficult and that we get tired of feeling undervalued and ignored but the good news is that when God sees us, he doesn’t see the damage our trials inflict upon us or our temporary conditions. Instead, he sees our great value as his creation; the one he loves the most. We never lose value in his sight. We may be broken, but he can remake us.  We may have lost our luster, but he can sand us down and repaint us. We may no longer see our purpose, but the God of creation can repurpose us. 

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" – Jeremiah 29:11

And I’ve seen enough HGTV to know that repurposed wood, nails and paint make the most beautiful and expensive masterpieces.
 
Written by Roberto Rocha, receptionist for the Buckner Family Hope Center® at Bachman Lake in Dallas, Texas.