“You are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” (Luke 12:7 NLT)
Most cultures do not value sparrows. They are common, noisy, and not particularly attractive. Adult sparrows feed on grain, while baby sparrows eat insects. In the 1950’s the Chinese government tried to exterminate sparrows, because they saw them as agricultural pests. Crop production increased initially, but after a few years, insects and others crop pests caused dramatic crop failures that resulted in mass human starvation. Everything matters, even sparrows.
I used to equate value with usefulness. Your life mattered if you contributed more to this world than you consumed. In the last few years, my perspective has changed. I have met people who are intrinsically valuable. Their lives inspire, encourage, and transform those around them--not necessarily by what they do, but by who they are. Now, I suspect that everyone and everything matters, even if I am not able to recognize their worth.
This has been a humbling discovery. Once I admitted that value exists outside my limited understanding and system of measurement, I look at people and experiences more fluidly, less judgmentally. Now, I recognize that all is worthy in God’s eyes, and thus everything matters.
We are all here on God's Creation for a Purpose. It is hard to believe sometimes that even the "bad" are worth something. Too many times our eyes and opinions are only fixated on the bad and cannot see the good because we just closed our minds.
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