In My Grandfather’s Blessings, Rachel Remen tells a story about a well-known rabbi preaching a Yom Kippur service.  Instead of giving a traditional message, this rabbi held his 1-year old daughter in his arms and carried her to the podium.

The rabbi spoke and the little girl patted him on the cheek with her tiny hands.  Next, she grabbed his nose.  He freed himself and continued the sermon.  A few minutes later, she put his tie in her mouth.  The congregation looked upon both of them with love and kindness.

The rabbi asked, “Is there anything she can do that you could not forgive her?”

Right on cue, the little girl accosted his eyeglasses.

And then the rabbi asked, “’And when does that stop?  When does it get hard to forgive someone?  At three?  At seven?  At fourteen?  At thirty-five?  How old does someone have to be before you forget that everyone is a child of God?’”[1]

One might ask the same question about our worthiness.

Surely, an infant daughter grabbing her father’s eyeglasses is innocent, pure, and completely worthy.

Surely, you are an innocent child in a grown up body and therefore, completely worthy

At what age did you begin to deny your worth?   At what age will offer yourself the respect and appreciation you deserve?  How about now? 

[1] Remen, Rachel Naomi, My Grandfather’s Blessings, Riverhead Books, 2000.  Page 108.