How valuable is a human? Well, it kind of depends on how you look at that question. If you look at the human being as an animated bag of chemicals, our chemical make up averages only about $200 – if we were just using your potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorous. However, if you value a human being on the basis of a functioning organ that could be used by someone, we’re at least getting into the 10’s of thousands range. If you look at a human being’s average economic output and benefit to the overall GDP – then we’re probably looking at something in the millions. It sounds crass, doesn’t it?

But there is a reality to this. In the depths of our humanity, we come up with questions of worth. What am I worth? What is someone else worth? As I sit here, there’s a creeping question in my brain that asks – was it worth it for me to read that article from the Hedgehog Review, think about it a little, and then start to write this article – or would have it been more efficient for me to just ask ChatGPT to write a newsletter article. (I did ask, btw, just now – and it came up with “Living Between: Faith for the In-Between Seasons”, and I felt it was more boring than what this human could come up with.)

I heard a podcast recently that featured two computer science type guys talking about AI. One was angry about AI and felt that it had stolen away his livelihood and calling as a computer coder. The other one, however, had an interesting take. He was still somewhat nostalgic for the days when his skill was in high demand, and noted that he would have to find a new way to make money, but he interestingly said, “this actually frees me up to do something human, something that a computer CANNOT do.” It made me think, what are those things? And then I was embarrassed for even asking myself that question and needing to think about it.

We find ourselves in (yet another) time of defining humanity against what machines can do: plow fields, calculating math problems, put together cheap shoes, be our bank teller, write a summary of a book or article, create a piece of music, etc. It is fascinating to see what machines can do, but I think throughout it – it is even more fascinating to see the value that God created and redeemed in us as humans. God made us in His image, giving us a relationship between Himself and the earth. God felt we were valuable enough to pay for our redemption with the death of His Son. 

This Lent, as we dig into the depths of our humanity, let us remember that our lives – our HUMAN lives – are of such value to God that it is only measurable in the death of His Son. That value goes beyond our chemistry, our potential, and anything else we offer ourselves – rather, our value and worth is found in His Son. Go out knowing that you are of this value.