People throughout history have asked this question.
Though maybe it isn't said outright, a lot of people feel a person should contribute to society. And often people in our world judge the value of a person on their net worth, and on how much money they make. We wouldn't say that a millionaire is more important than a guy who lives on the streets, but it's there all the same. People get impressed with money, material possessions, fame and political power.
So, what about a person who doesn't or can't contribute to society? Where's their worth? I had a nice chat with a friend of mine this morning who met a man who lives in assisted living with his mother. Let's call him Sam. Sam is in his late 50s or early 60s. His mother, who is in her 80s, is his caregiver. At a young age Sam had an accident that deprived his brain of oxygen for several minutes. He was unconscious for months. When he finally came to, he had to relearn everything. The accident took much from him. He was an easy target at school by every single bully. Doesn't sound like the man has any friends. Maybe never had any friends after the accident. Sam's world is his mom.
I can share the story of my 23-year-old son too. Hawken needs me or my husband to do everything for him. He cannot talk or walk or feed himself. He has never been able to do any of this. We are his world. He stays at home most of the time. He goes to church Sundays with us, and if we travel anywhere, he comes along. He is my constant companion.
Neither our son nor Sam contribute to society in ways that are seen as important. They both come into contact with one or two people. That's it. If we take a societal view of what makes a person important, lives like theirs will eventually, in our society, be seen as taking up space and using resources that could go to someone who can "pull their own weight."
That sounds horrible and it is. So, what is the worth of a human? Why do we exist? What is the point?
We need to go back to the beginning -- when God chose to create humanity. Back to Genesis 1. I'm going to cut and paste a section of Genesis 1 from The Message Translation:
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” Genesis 1:26-28
And in Genesis 3:8 we find out that God would stroll around in the Garden of Eden in the evening to hang out with Adam and Eve. He loved hanging out with them. He created us humans to care for his world and to be in friendship with us; to be our Father (and yep, that means Jesus can be your brother).
So, even if a person has a very simple life -- the simplest you can imagine (maybe a person like my son who enjoys sitting beside me as I write this or watching a TV show with me or listening to me read) -- that life is precious to God. He created that person to be in a relationship with him, to love them just cause he wants to love them.
This is why we must treat all people with dignity no matter their background, their behavior, the way they look or where they come from. That person was made by God, The Great Creator, so he can love them.
Don't ever doubt your worth. From the tiniest baby just beginning to develop to the oldest woman or man who lives in a nursing home and rarely if ever gets visitors -- God is with you. God loves you. You have worth. Your worth is found in him, not in people's opinion or actions toward you.