Priceless (adjective): having value beyond any price; having worth in terms of other than market value; not to be bought for any amount of money; delightfully amusing
I have a sixteen-year-old son who frequently communicates to me through shoulder shrugs. Shrugs can mean a wide variety of responses: “It doesn’t matter”, “Either is fine”, “I don’t have a preference”, “Whatever you want”, “I don’t mind”, “maybe”, or “I guess so”. However, a shrug never means “No” – he definitely vocalizes when the answer to a question is a definitive “No”.
I’ve become pretty good at interpreting the different forms, shapes, exaggerations, facial expressions that define each shrug, but nonetheless, this form of communication is often frustrating and exasperating.
Still, he’s a pretty awesome kid, and mostly saves the shoulder shrugs for me. Outwardly he shares his smile generously, laughs easily, and is self-motivated in both his schoolwork and his basketball regime. Little kids and dogs are drawn to him like a magnet – and since I believe kids and dogs have pretty good radars about who to trust, I think this speaks to his character. He is kind, gentle, competitive, and optimistic. He is happiest with either a fishing pole or a basketball in his hand.
As I reflected on recent memories with my son, I was reminded of the MasterCard marketing campaign (started in 1997) using the tag “priceless”. These advertisements would have some emotional moment between people, like a father and a son, and then finish up saying something like “Talking to your son about his first date, priceless. For everything else, there’s MasterCard”.
I felt inspired to write my own “Priceless” commercials based on real events with my son.
In the Car
One day I picked him up from basketball practice, and on the short drive home, he didn’t immediately turn the radio dial to a different station like he often does (I like to listen to contemporary Christian, he generally prefers current “pop” radio). Instead, he turned up the volume and started singing along. The song was “Where I Belong” by Building 429. The words he sang out, without reserve: “Take this world and give me Jesus…”
Drivers Education Class – $300. Hearing your son praise God through song – Priceless.
On Instagram
My son communicates with friends mostly through Snapchat. However, he does sometimes use Instagram, and I am one of his followers. One day I popped open my feed and found a new post from him. It contained a picture from his recent basketball game (an action photo), and the caption read: “Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7”
New Basketball Shoes – $100. Seeing your son share scripture on Social Media – Priceless.
At the Marsh
While we were visiting extended family over a holiday, I asked my son if he’d like to take a walk with me and the dogs. Quite surprisingly, he agreed. We headed off to the area known as the “the marsh”, a gravel trail through some marshlands and woods with bodies of water all around. At one point, he handed me his phone and asked me to take his picture. My son has an artist’s eye for nature photography, and this time, he wanted to be in the photo. This is the picture he had me snap:
Cell Phone with camera – $600. Quality time spent with my son – Priceless.
For a Homework Assignment
My son’s interest and eye for taking pictures has led him to enroll in a few photography classes in school. He checked out a “fancy” camera from the school and took it along on our weekend trips to snap pictures for his homework. One assignment the teacher titled “Ugly Places, Pretty Faces”. The words tell the purpose of the theme well but leaves a lot of room open for interpretation. The eye behind the camera really gets to define what is “ugly” and what is “pretty” and then put the two together in one frame. My son invited me to go with him exploring our community for photo opportunities for this project. We approached a swampy, scum-lined pond (which some may consider “ugly”, but all would likely agree is “stinky”). Then he asked me to step into the picture.
Feeding a 16-year-old boy every month – $400. Seeing myself from my son’s perspective – Priceless
As I give thanks to God for the gift of my son and the gift of motherhood, I know with certainty that God experiences these “Priceless” moments with my son, with me, and with each of his precious children.
The scriptures tell us what is truly priceless:
How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7 NIV
And we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 1 Peter 1:4 NLT
Neither God’s unconditional love nor our inheritance with Christ can be purchased or sold for any amount of money. The “worth” of His Love and the “cost” of our eternal heavenly home cannot be valued or measured.
For King and Country is a Christian group who sings a song called “Priceless”. I pray these words over my son; and my hope is that we all can feel God singing these words over us…
I see you dressed in white
Every wrong made right
I see a rose in bloom
At the sight of you
Oh, so Priceless
Irreplaceable, unmistakable, incomparable
Darling it’s beautiful
I see it all in you
Oh, so Priceless
When I asked my son if I had his permission to publish this article, I completely expected to get a shoulder shrug as a response. Instead, he surprised me by using the words, “Yeah, sure”. Maybe the days of the shoulder shrug are coming to an end? A mom can hope.