While out running errands one Saturday, I stopped by a local dollar store to make some purchases. After selecting a few things, I walked towards the checkout counter and noticed a $1 bill on the floor. I looked around trying to identify who it belonged to, but there was no one around to claim it. It was dirty, trampled and discarded, but I picked it up anyway and used it to help pay for my items. I checked out and headed towards my car.

As I drove off, I thought about the $1 bill lying on the floor. Not only had a small blessing fallen, but a divine lesson was left for me to pick up also. Although the $1 bill had been dropped, lost and overlooked, its value hadn’t diminished. It still contained the imprint of its creator’s image, an identifiable serial number and seal of authenticity. It simply had been lost in the shuffles of life and wasn’t being used for its original purpose.  I’m not sure how long the $1 bill was on the floor; however, one decision enabled it to be put back into circulation and restored to its designed purpose. A similar lesson of restoration and purpose can be found in the Biblical book of Joshua.

In Joshua, Rahab the harlot fits the profile of being misused, abused and discarded. I’m sure no one ever thought she, a prostitute, would ever amount to much of anything. Buried beneath her indiscretions, mistakes and setbacks resided God’s imprint, image and seal.  One decision catapulted her into restoration and the discovery of her authentic identity and worth. One choice initiated her purpose to become part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. What an amazing depiction of purpose under fire!

This past year you may have experienced challenges and disappointments, or even felt left behind and overlooked, but remember those conundrums didn’t diminish your worth. As long as you have a pulse – you have purpose. God’s imprint and image is ingrained in you. You bear an undeniable and undiminishable seal of God. You are a decision away from initiating restoration and purpose, just like Rahab and the $1 bill.  Don’t let the flaws of people or life issues diminish your worth. View your life with a fresh perspective: God’s imprint is ingrained within and as long as you have a pulse – you have a purpose!