Most Valuable

MVP can mean ‘most valuable player’ or ‘most valuable professional’. Annually Microsoft nominates their most valuable professionals, and by definition they are ‘exceptional, technical leaders who share their expertise with technical communities’. These professionals are not necessarily employed by Microsoft, but they contribute to the development of their products and systems. Indeed, Microsoft uses these talented, inspired technicians when they are associated with user groups, code camps, MVP Global Summits, conferences and training sessions.

The term ‘most valuable player’ is typically applied to a person who contributes most to a team’s success, either at a specific event or during a series. Managers overseeing soccer, rugby, cricket or other teams may nominate MVPs as a means of motivating, encouraging or rewarding team members.

How MVPs are singled out will depend upon the judgement of those choosing the nominees, but they must use criteria for assessing the value of a team member. In the case of a football player, he may not have scored a goal during a game, but his brilliant passing of the ball resulted in others scoring.

The pertinent questions to ask are: “What is valuable?” and ‘What is most valuable?” If we apply these questions to ourselves, what do we come up with? In answer to the first question, anything of value has worth. A ten pound note is of little worth to an ocean rower thousands of miles from land, but to a motorist whose car is just about to run out of petrol, it is worth a great deal - especially if his car is close to a filling station, and ten pounds worth of petrol will get him home!

In answer to the second question, value is inevitably related to circumstances, and an item or an action of most value must be related to a specific circumstance, e.g., if I need to change the sparkplug of my outboard motor because it is fouled up with oil, but I do not have a sparkplug spanner, instead, I have a Mole Grip that will do the job, the Mole grip is the most valuable tool I have.

So, what are the answers to our questions, when applied to us? In my case, valuable items, circumstances and people are those that help me live a useful and fulfilling life, but the most valuable is my relationship with Jesus. Why is this? It is because He has shown me the essential element of life, here present and in the hereafter: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:4)