You Matter

You matter! Many people struggle with feeling that no one cares, but Jesus says that you are much more valuable than the birds in Luke 12:24. “Look at the crows: they don’t sow seeds or gather a harvest; they don’t have storerooms or barns; God feeds them! You are worth so much more than birds!”

In Luke 15, Jesus used three illustrations to express how important each person is regardless of their own or even society’s opinion. He tells about the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In verse 4 Jesus says, “If you had one hundred sheep, and one of them strayed away and was lost in the wilderness, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine others to go and search for the lost one until you found it?” He goes on to tell of the rejoicing that would follow. Even though the majority of the sheep were safe, that one lost sheep was important enough to be found and celebrated.

Then Jesus tells of a woman with ten valuable silver coins in verses 8-10. He asks if one is lost, wouldn’t she light a lamp and search the entire house until that lost coin is found? As with the lost sheep, the woman did not shrug off the loss of the coin just because she had others. Instead she searched with great effort and then rejoiced with friends when that one coin was found.

Finally, Jesus told of a son who took his inheritance and left his home and family. He wasted his money away and began living a life of poverty and shame before finally gathering the courage to go home to his father. The father did not turn his son away for making bad choices but instead welcomed him with love, compassion, and you guess it…a celebration.

The lesson in each of these stories is that you matter! Some people are judged by society as less important, but God sees the value in each and every person. Regardless of what anyone says or how you feel about yourself, the important thing is that you matter to your Creator. God the Father loves you so much that if you’ve lost your way, He will welcome you with open arms. You are valuable because He loves you!

When you see a bird, remember that God loves you and that you do matter!