Ortberg tells the story of a little girl (a relative of his, I can't remember if it is his sister or who) who had a doll which she loved. Like any toddler, the little girl's love on the doll damaged it. The doll became dirty, torn, ragged, etc.
Anyone who saw the doll would consider it trash. It was useless. No one would even buy it for a dime at a yard sale. Yet, the little girl loved it.
Ortberg described the little girl's love as "the kind of love which creates value in the object which is loved." Wow. An object can become more valuable because of the love we impose on it.
I frequently think of value as a monetary assessment of an item determined by retailers, society, and the free market. The purchase price. Items that have greater value (like diamond rings, Gucci bags) are loved more than items with lower value. The value of the object determines the amount of love which I have for an object. Not the other way around.
But Ortberg shares a different kind of love, not based on the intrinsic value of an item. Looking beyond the faults of the item. Caring so much about an item that the item becomes valuable - because it is loved.
God's love for us is the same as the little girl's love for the ragged doll. We are faulty, imperfect, ragged. Yet God loves us anyway. We are treasured because He loves us. Thank you, God!
This post was inspired by the book "Love Beyond Reason" by John Ortberg.
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