When Value Is Given Before It Is Understood
Feast of the Holy Family
This Sunday, the Church keeps the Feast of the Holy Family. It is a quiet feast. There is no miracle performed, no sermon delivered, no crowd gathered. Scripture simply shows us a family doing what families do—protecting a child, obeying God, fleeing danger, returning home, and living faithfully in obscurity.
Matthew tells us only what is necessary:
“Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt.”
(Matthew 2:14)
Before the world ever sees who Jesus is, His life is entrusted to amazing people, however in an ordinary household, in an unremarkable town. Value is given long before it is understood.
In 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz used 10,000 Bitcoin to buy two pizzas. At the time, Bitcoin was experimental and largely unvalued, something mined easily on a home computer and exchanged more out of curiosity than conviction. The purchase was simple and unremarkable, a meal delivered and eaten, an idea briefly made tangible.
Only later did the weight of that moment become clear. Those same coins would eventually be worth close to a billion dollars, turning an ordinary exchange into a story told with disbelief. What once felt insignificant came to represent extraordinary value, recognized only in hindsight.
The story lingers because it reminds us how often value is hidden at the moment it is given. Something rare can be treated as common simply because its worth has not yet been revealed. Meaning is not always visible when an offering is made. Sometimes it takes time.
Our lives with God often unfold this way.
When we give ourselves to Christ, we do not arrive knowing our own worth. We come as we are, unfinished and ordinary, offering trust, obedience, and love long before they feel impressive or secure. From the outside, such a life can appear quieter, less driven, less remarkable than one built around achievement or control.
Paul describes this hidden formation when he writes,
“As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3:12)
These virtues are not dramatic. They are practiced slowly, inside homes, inside relationships, inside days that look the same as the day before.
Jesus speaks into this hiddenness when He says,
“Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” (John 12:24)
What is given to God does not announce its significance immediately. Growth begins in concealment. Sanctification is slow and mostly unseen, shaped by patience rather than proof.
Jesus names the cost and the promise together when He says,
“Whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
The giving comes before the understanding.
The loss is felt before the life is found.
At Christmas, this truth is no longer abstract. It is embodied.
A child is born quietly and laid in a manger. There is no display of power, no visible claim to greatness. And yet infinite life has entered finite flesh. Glory has drawn near, wrapped in vulnerability.
The stillness of the manger does not mean heaven is silent. Luke tells us that the night opens with song.
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.”
(Luke 2:14)
The angels sing not because the setting is impressive, but because the value is already there. Heaven names what is true even when it is hidden. Peace has entered the world, unnoticed by most, held in the arms of Mary.
Later, wise men follow a quiet sign and bring gifts not to create worth, but to recognize it. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are offered in response to something already present, honoring what heaven has already declared and what the world will come to see only over time.
The Gospels even give voice to this hesitation. When Philip tells Nathanael that the Messiah has come from Nazareth, Nathanael asks, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” It is not a hostile question. It is an honest one. Nazareth carried no reputation, no visible promise.
And yet Matthew concludes the Holy Family’s journey with a sentence as quiet as it is decisive:
“He went and lived in a town called Nazareth.” (Matthew 2:23)
Paul gives us language for this mystery when he writes,
“We have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)
God delights to place what is most precious inside what appears ordinary and fragile. The Incarnation follows this pattern. Sanctification continues it. Christ dwells within human lives that do not yet shine, carrying a value already known by God.
The world often recognizes worth only after it has proven itself.
God recognizes it at the moment it is entrusted.
As Scripture reminds us,
“The Lord does not see as man sees. Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
Nothing offered to Christ is misjudged or wasted. What we give before we understand is not lost. It is received.
The Feast of the Holy Family reminds us that God does His deepest work not in public triumph, but in faithful obscurity, where love is practiced long before it is praised.
As we remain in Christmastide, I invite you to close with a simple breath prayer. Let the exhale be longer than the inhale. Allow these truths to settle gently.
A Closing Breath Prayer
Breathe in
I am your child
Breathe out
You are my Father
You delight in me
Breathe in
I am known
Breathe out
You have searched me and You know me
Breathe in
I am not alone
Breathe out
You are with me
You will not leave me
Breathe in
I give You my life
Breathe out
You receive it
You guard what I entrust to You
Breathe in
I am at rest
Breathe out
You are my shepherd
I lack nothing
Amen.
Repose in Egypt — The Sphinx Keeping Watch
The Holy Family rests in silence at the edge of empire.
The child is hidden, turned inward toward His mother, unseen by the world.
Behind them, the Sphinx stands unmoving—stone witness to ages of power now passed.
What once guarded kings now keeps watch over a sleeping child.
History holds its breath.
Addendum: Lives Whose Value Was Revealed Over Time
Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468) — Germany
A printer whose work outlived his fortune
Gutenberg developed movable type printing in Europe with the aim of producing accurate, beautiful Bibles. His invention accelerated literacy, learning, and the spread of Scripture beyond monasteries and elites. Yet Gutenberg himself died financially ruined, having lost control of his press and received little recognition.
The value of his work was not apparent in his lifetime. The Reformation, scientific exchange, and modern education followed later. What looked like failure in one generation became a foundation for many others.
Gregor Mendel (1822–1884) — Austria
Truth discovered in obscurity
Mendel, an Augustinian monk, conducted meticulous experiments on pea plants while living a quiet monastic life. His findings established the basic laws of genetic inheritance. At the time, his work was ignored and misunderstood.
He died believing his efforts had not mattered. Decades later, his research was rediscovered and became the cornerstone of modern genetics. Mendel’s life reflects faithfulness to truth without any assurance of recognition.
William Tyndale (c. 1494–1536) — England
A life given so the Word could be read
Tyndale translated the Bible into English so ordinary people could read Scripture for themselves. His work was banned, and he lived in exile before being captured, imprisoned, and executed.
After his death, much of his translation became the basis of the King James Bible. Tyndale never saw his work accepted, but his words shaped English Christianity for centuries.
Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) — United States
A life declared property that revealed its own worth
Born enslaved, Frederick Douglass was legally valued only as property. He taught himself to read and escaped slavery, then became one of the most powerful voices for abolition and human dignity.
Early in his career, many doubted his authorship and intellect. Over time, his speeches and writings reshaped moral discourse in America. His value was never created by freedom or recognition; it was revealed when false measures were stripped away.
Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797) — West Africa / Britain
A voice that helped awaken conscience
Equiano was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. After purchasing his freedom, he wrote a detailed account of his life that exposed the brutality of the slave trade.
During his lifetime, his book was seen primarily as testimony. Later, it was recognized as a pivotal work that influenced abolitionist movements. His life shows how truth spoken personally can shape history quietly.
Samuel Ajayi Crowther (c. 1809–1891) — Nigeria
Scripture given a native voice
Crowther was enslaved as a child, freed, educated, and later became the first African Anglican bishop. He translated the Bible into Yoruba and helped develop written forms for several African languages.
Despite facing discrimination and institutional resistance, his linguistic and theological work endured. African Christianity flourished using foundations he laid, long after his authority was questioned.
Xu Guangqi (1562–1633) — China
A bridge built before it was crossed
Xu Guangqi was a Confucian scholar and government official who converted to Christianity. He worked to integrate Western science with Chinese thought and translated scientific texts into Chinese.
His faith and synthesis limited his advancement and influence during his lifetime. Centuries later, he is recognized as a key figure linking Chinese intellectual tradition with global science and Christian thought.
Pandita Ramabai (1858–1922) — India
Faithfulness without alignment
Ramabai was a Sanskrit scholar, reformer, and translator who advocated for women’s education and dignity. She translated Scripture into Marathi and founded shelters for widows and abandoned women.
She faced criticism from missionaries, nationalists, and religious leaders alike. Her work endured beyond those conflicts, shaping reform movements and women’s education in India.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (1839–1904) — India
Wealth relinquished into the future
Jamsetji Tata envisioned steel, power, scientific education, and civic institutions for India long before independence. He invested his wealth into projects he would never see completed and structured ownership so future generations would benefit.
Much of Tata’s legacy matured decades after his death. His life reflects stewardship rather than accumulation — value entrusted forward rather than extracted immediately.
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