our value is a gift

"Of God's love we can say two things: it is poured out universally for everyone, from the Pope to the loneliest wino on the planet; and secondly, God's love doesn't seek value, it creates value. It is not because we have value that we are loved, but because we are loved that we have value. Our value is a gift, not an achievement." William Sloan Coffin, Jr. from his book "Credo"