And he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.” (Gen. 23:13)

I love Abraham’s attitude. He keeps wanting to pay for things so it can be rightfully his. He does not want people to say, “I made Abraham rich.” He does not want things for free.

It’s amazing how quickly we want something that is free. It’s been said that in The Netherlands, nothing is free, except the air we’re breathing and maybe that is why people in our country flock to things that are free. When it’s free, we want it even though we don’t need it.

I have found that things that are free are often less valuable to those that get them, irrespective of their value. Once I gave away a ticket to a conference that I paid € 90 for. The person receiving it gladly accepted it, “because it was for free” yet at the last-minute did not show up to the conference. Why? “Because I couldn’t make it”

When it’s free you never paid the price. When you didn’t pay the price, it has less value to you. Abraham wanted to pay the price because he wanted his wife’s burial site to count for something, to cost him something.

Let’s adopt the attitude of Abraham: if it costs me, it will be worth more to me. Whether it’s a conference ticket, something you save for and then buy, the engagement ring you worked extra hours for… you paid the price so you will look after it.