The $320,000 Kindergarten Teacher {In the Word Wednesday}

Got this in my inbox the other day from Steve Furtick and thought it could definitely be applicable to a few people!  Enjoy!

I read an article last year about the true value of a good kindergarten teacher that shocked and encouraged me.
The average kindergarten teacher makes around $30,000 a year. Research, however, has estimated that when you take into account the additional money kids who have a good kindergarten teacher go on to make, they are actually worth about $320,000 a year.
That’s not a typo. Really, they’re making 10x the impact their salary indicates.
It just goes to show you that what you do can’t define what you’re worth. That your salary does not necessarily correspond to your real value.
I think that should be encouraging for a lot of you.
For those of you who are working jobs where you’re pouring yourself out for the good of others or the Kingdom but not getting heavily compensated, you need to know that you’re more valuable than the number on your paycheck. What you’re doing and the impact you’re making is significant, even if your salary package isn’t.
For all of the people who volunteer during their free time to make their church run, I need you to know that you’re the real heroes and your investment is reaping eternal rewards. Just because you’re not making a paycheck doesn’t mean you’re not making a difference.
I doubt any of us are getting $320,000 raises any time soon. But maybe in the mean time we could give our perspectives a $320,000 raise and see that the value of what we’re doing is far greater than the money that we’re making.
Your worth is determined by the God who is in you and the impact He’s making through you. And believe me, it actually makes the $320,000 look like chump change.
Resource of the Day: For any of you who volunteer in a church, if you want to know just how much of an impact you really do make, check out a sermon I preached a few years back called “No-Show Sunday.” In one of the craziest moves we’ve ever made, we  gave all of our volunteers the weekend off. It was chaotic, but it proved a point: our volunteers are the most valuable resource we have.