God has painted on a very big canvas. But do you know what the centerpiece of his creative genius is? It’s you and I, and the people around us. As far as we know (though there is much we don’t know), the stars and nebula and galaxies are all backdrop. He created seas and skies and plants and beasts, but the crown of his creation was man.

Humans are the X-factor; they were (from our perspective, at least) creation’s biggest risk, and its biggest reward. No one can fault God for thinking small. He had great plans for the humans – great plans for us – and he still does. The story is still unfolding, and we have a part to play.

Because people bear the image of God, they are tremendously valuable. The potential for humans – whether newborn child, world’s oldest man, or inmate serving a life sentence – is inestimable. Every person you know is priceless: the phone solicitor who calls at dinner time, the dentist, the restaurant server, the genius, and the person with intellectual disabilities, all are infinitely worthwhile.