Recently after picking up my groceries, I noticed something when I arrived back home. The delivery person had placed my case of drinks onto the floorboard, and directly beneath them were my bananas. You would think this is basic grocery delivery knowledge—not to load groceries in this way, but the truth is, often times people will neglect what they haven’t paid a price for.

When I got inside, I saw some of my bananas were covered in bruises. Luckily, I was able to get a refund, and they ended up removing the charge from all of the bananas, even the ones that weren’t damaged. I have a routine with bananas; I’ll let them sit out and ripen on top of my fridge. When they reach my desired level of ripeness, I’ll put them into the crisper drawer so they’ll maintain that state for longer.

As I passed by my fridge several mornings later, I noticed my bananas were becoming spotted as I had almost left them out for too long. I realized something; had I actually ended paying for those bananas, they would’ve gone into my fridge sooner. We protect what we pay for.

What things do you protect the most? Your car and your home with insurance, your phone, your valuables. A mother protects her children because she paid a high price when she carried them for nine months and endured labor. As nurses, we protect our licenses because we busted our tails in nursing school. The higher the price we pay for something, the more we protect it.

God paid a price for you and I, not just any price but the highest of prices. It’s because of this we can rest assured we are not only protected but highly valued and deeply loved.