> As far as we know, the universe "just is".

I don't know this. In fact, billions of people around the world don't know this. In fact, all evidence points to the contrary.

You have objective value being made in the image of a personal God. Denying that leads to a lot of pain, namely nihilistic suffering because it's on you to "pull yourself up by the bootstraps" in any endeavor involving your own self-worth.