I'm Not Worthy

"Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy."

What is worth?  Worth is having or showing the qualities or abilities that merit recognition in a specified way.  This definition of worth can be used in a measurable way, such as those worthy of having a drivers license are those who complete the training hours and pass the test as well as follow the laws that allow them to be driving on the road.  They are "worthy" of having a license.

Being worthy of having a home then could be measured by the ability to pay for and maintain a home.  You are "worthy" of having a home if you can do these things and show the qualities that are needed to call you a homeowner.

How do you decide if something or someone is "worth" it or not to you?  This is also measurable based on your own set of rules and values that help you to determine the worth something has.  Is it worth it to drive a used car?  If you are ok with no monthly payments but the potential to have some repairs here and there and the money it takes you in order to maintain your car, then yes, having a used car is "worth" it to you.

Is it worth it to have a partner who doesn't agree with your job choice and is always putting down your lack of formal education or inability to get motivated?  If you are ok with being talked to in that way, you partially agree with that partner or you just don't want to be alone, then maybe this partner is "worth" it to you.  You may be of the other school of thought that a partner should support you and your choices despite your differences in education and career goals than maybe this partner isn't "worth" it to you.  

In all of these ways, determining worth is measurable in subjective as well as objective ways and we individually determine the worth that something or someone has to us.  

Who's job is it though to determine worth of the immeasurable things such as love and kindness?  Is it anyone's job to decide if you are or are not worthy of these things?  Deep down, aren't we all worthy of these things despite any choices we may or may not make in our lives.  Truly it isn't anyone's job to determine if we are worthy of love and kindness, we are all human.  Everyone needs love and kindness and everyone thrives in an environment of support.  Each person can determine for themselves if their own time and efforts are of worth in certain situations and relationships and while that is completely up to the personal preference of individuals, it isn't anyone's job to determine whether or not a person is "worthy" of love and kindness.

I try to remind my children all the time that if they can be anything, they should be kind.  All people are worth it and so is the love and kindness they share.  Sometimes this means getting hurt or taken advantage of by others, but other times it means they will get to feel the kindness come back to them ten-fold and they will witness things they never would have, had they not shared the kindness in their own hearts.  It is just too difficult to try and measure the worth of a person by weighing all of life's decisions that they have been faced with and it is impossible to know exactly how we would have reacted in similar situations and under similar stresses.  It isn't fair to think that we are any more or less worthy of love and kindness than anyone else out there either and things become much more clear and simple when we leave the judgement behind and just support one another.