Either we have inherent worth or simply instrumental worth.  If we are not created in the image of God our instrumental worth puts our worth on shaky ground.  We are just tools that have value as long as we can produce.  But what happens when our production slows down or stops altogether?

It is no wonder we live amidst such insecurity.  People feel driven to keep producing.  

Many also feel the pull to keep reinventing themselves when their present perception of their image seems inadequate.  And since there is no innate worth to the way God has made us, there becomes the delusional pursuit of constant self-improvement projects.  Some may seem like longer roads than others, but all are cul-de-sacs.  And so reinventing the self begins anew.

In the biblical account of creation, the man and woman are pronounced very good before they produce anything.  God is pleased simply because they mirror His image.