Self-Esteem
«Or what woman, having ten silver coins if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?»(Luke 1 5:8).
When our daughter (J) was three or four years old, she was always losing some toy, item of clothing, or object. We would search everywhere and, eventually, we would ask her:
«Claudia, where is your doll?»
Taking a quick look around her, with a shrug of her shoulders, she would calmly respond,
«It’s lost.»
That way, she took it out of her mind and moved on to another activity. Attitude is not easy to find in adults. When we lose any item, tool, or object, we are annoyed and are incapable of doing anything else until we find it
his was the reaction of the woman who had ten coins and lost one. Firstly, it was a very important loss: one drachma was worth one day’s wage—a significant amount for a poor woman. Moreover, it was the custom in those times that, before a wedding, the bride’s father would give his daughter a ten-drachma dowry, just in case she needed it. Some Bible commentators tell us that married women wore their ten drachmas on a garland for all to see; thus, everybody would know when a coin got lost. Secondly, it was an exhaustive search. Oriental houses were dark and full of dust and dirt. This is why the woman lights the lamp, sweeps the entire house and is determined to find the coin. Eventually, the search is successful. She finds the drachma, goes to her friends and neighbors and they all rejoice in the find. Jesus adds, «Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents» (Luke 15: 10), implying that each one of us is that coin every time we get lost.
The parable has a special value in terms of self-esteem. The coin, as precious as itis, cannot fulfill its mission of delivering goods while it is lost. The same happens to us: we cannot take part in the joy of serving until we meet Jesus and become complete. Frequently, the Lord uses others (the woman in the parable) to search for us and to invite us to return to Him. Other times, the Holy Spirit takes direct action within our heart and wins us over. The analogy of the coin is excellent because the coin bears the mark of the authority that mints it. You and I carry the mark of the Creator and His image is restored in us when He finds us. Let us respond affirmatively to the Lord when He looks for us.
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Taken from: Daily Devotions for Junior 2020
“A Cheerful Heart Is Good Medicine”
From: Julian Melgoza-Laura Fidanza
Colaboradores:Sergio Alcantara & Emmanuel Tapia
