Worthless or Worthy?

Image Source: Eric Ward

Last week a moving video popped up on my timeline about a homeless man in the UK named Andy. Andy bought a dog from a beggar and he explains how the dog (Bailey) brought meaning to his life and gave him a purpose to live...

You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1jUXnAnb7A

Andy, who was previously a heavy drug addict (Heroin and Crack) for 15 years, got to a low point where he was standing on the edge of a bridge contemplating suicide. But when he saw how his dog was looking at him and how much Bailey loved him, he realized that he could not leave his dog behind and so he made the decision to change his life around.

Something that Andy said has really stuck with me. He spoke about how as a homeless man, it is so painful when people walk past him and don't acknowledge him. 

"When you're stood there, hungry, and no-one is noticing you, just walking by as if you don't count, in your mind it convinces you that you are worthless."

He said that it's not the being hungry or poor that is the worst part of being homeless, it is the fact that when other people treat you like you are unworthy of love and attention, you begin to believe it yourself.

For this man, his dog gave him the feeling of being important and loved which helped him believe it himself, to the point that he was able to turn over a new leaf and get his own life back on track.

We need to be careful how we interact with people from all walks of life. It is important to remember that when we blatantly ignore those who have less than ourselves, refusing to even give them eye-contact, we are demeaning them and not honouring them as people who have been made in the image of our Creator God.

“So God created man and woman in His own image; in the image of God He created them”

- Genesis 1:27

As my friend Delme Linscott mentioned in one of his recent blog posts, You are worth something (you should follow him, he is awesome), we are of so much worth to God. It does not depend on who we are or what we have accomplished - even if the world has rejected us, we are still worthy in God's eyes. It is our duty as Christ-followers to help others realize their worthiness in the eyes of God.

Feeling worthy and loved by others can be such a powerful trigger in someone's life that can completely change the way that they feel about themselves.

Perhaps you have been feeling unworthy and unloved lately. Let this be a valuable reminder to you that you are loved, and you are indeed worthy!

As Andy said near the end of the clip: "It's all about love, it's all about love. Through being loved, I have learnt how to give love, but more importantly, I have learnt how to receive love."

"For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

- Romans 5:6-8 (ESV)