As Alex walked home from St. James Middle School with his grandfather one fall afternoon, Grandpa could tell something was on Alex’s mind.

“Everything went okay at school today?” Grandpa asked.

“Yeah,” Alex replied.

The two walked along in silence for a few moments. The one-word answer wasn’t lost on Grandpa, nor the way Alex was dragging his feet. Grandpa tried again.

“Alex, is something bothering you?”

Alex was quiet for a moment, then he shared how he got in trouble at lunchtime. Two kids were arguing, Alex tried to help, a teacher stepped in who didn’t understand … and somehow Alex ended up in the principal’s office.

He didn’t even get in trouble. Once the teacher and principal heard his story, he was sent back to class. But the other kids blamed him, and Alex left the office feeling defeated.

“I never do anything right,” Alex told his grandpa.

Grandpa walked quietly. He knew Alex sometimes felt like things never worked out for him.

“Alex, you know God loves you, right?” “Yeah, I know.”

“But do you know God likes you?” “What?”

“Do you know God likes you? Everyone always talks about how much God loves you. But do you know he likes you too?”

“God likes me?”

“Sure He does. He made you just the way you are. He gave you your ideas, your talents, even your quirks. God did all that—and He likes it.”

When’s the last time you stopped and thought about how much God likes you?

It’s easy to imagine God has a human-making machine in heaven—pull the lever and out we come, one after another, like products off an assembly line.

But God doesn’t work like that.

There was a moment in time when you did not exist, and God stopped to think of you. A moment of inspiration when He said, “Yes—that’s just what the world needs.” He created you with that level of intention; with purpose and with attention.

And if that’s true, then every single life is that same kind of miracle. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a child in the womb or an elderly grandparent, the missionary serving in a far-off land or the student walking home from school. Every life is unrepeatable. Every life shines God’s glory into the world.

This month, I want to shine a light on the miracle of you.

I know things aren’t always perfect. I know sometimes it feels like God made a mistake. But it isn’t true. Strip away all the world’s measuring sticks—the job titles, the money, the mistakes, the hardships—and what’s left is exactly who God wanted.

You’re beautiful. You’re worthy. You’re strong. You have a purpose. You’re precious in God’s eyes. There was a moment when God thought you were exactly what the world needed.

Just like Alex needed to hear it, maybe you need to hear it too:

God doesn’t just love you. He likes you. ✣

Dominick Albano is a passionately Catholic husband and father of four boys. He has been writing, speaking, and leading Catholic retreats for more than 20 years. He is the co-founder of the National Society for Priestly Vocations.

This article appeared in the October 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.