Hear Him Heal You
This podcast is for those who are looking to experience the Savior more in their lives because of the peace and healing that only He can offer through revelation. Come unto Christ to get out of the mental mire, find meaning in emotion, leave bad behind, and finally, be whole. This is where we hear Him to be healed.
Hear Him Heal You
A Morgan Message: Are You Confusing Your Worth With Your Worthiness?
Reconciling your worth with your worthiness might be the most important spiritual distinction you'll ever make. This special "Morgan Message" explores how these similar-looking words create profound confusion in our spiritual lives, often leading us to wear our mistakes as permanent identities rather than temporary states.
Drawing from personal experiences leading addiction recovery classes and navigating my own repentance journey, I've witnessed how misunderstanding these concepts can keep us from progressing spiritually. When we believe our mistakes make us worthless rather than temporarily unworthy, we decline callings, withhold our testimonies, and stop pursuing greater spiritual blessings. It's a devastating cycle that keeps us from the very healing we need most.
Your worth—better understood as your "divine value"—remains constant regardless of your actions. It's your unchangeable identity as a child of God with divine DNA. Worthiness, on the other hand, is your "spiritual readiness" that changes based on your choices and can be restored through sincere repentance. This distinction transforms how we experience divine love and grace.
The most powerful moments of feeling God's love often come when we feel we deserve it least. In bishop's offices and quiet moments of prayer, I've felt overwhelming divine acceptance precisely when I expected rejection. These experiences don't just restore worthiness—they remind us of our immeasurable worth and empower us to change. Christ doesn't ask us to become worthy alone; He invites us to partner with Him in the journey.
Remember: "Repentance restores worthiness, but your worth never needs to be restored because it was never lost." If you're carrying the weight of past mistakes as your identity rather than temporary states to overcome, this episode offers the perspective shift you've been searching for. Share this message with someone who might be confusing their worth with their worthiness.
Welcome to Hear Him, heal you with Morgan and Joel. This podcast is for those that are imperfect, rough around the edges but are still wanting to come unto Christ. Join us to get out of the mental mire, find meaning in emotion and leave bad behind. This is where we hear Him to be healed. All right, little flock.
Speaker 1:So I have something a little bit new for you guys today. Obviously, you're used to Joel and I doing this together, but we're going to be starting a new segment. I guess you could say where, just like how you guys have probably heard of a Mormon message, now you're going to get a Morgan message and what this is going to be about. These are just little thoughts I have here and there that have taken me down rabbit holes that I think are important for others to know. So these are shorter episodes, things that I think are important but might not be worthy of a full conversation between Joel and I.
Speaker 1:So today's episode that I want to talk about is reconciling your worth with your worthiness, and this was actually inspired because I was reading in my scriptures one day and I came across this scripture and it says and he that taketh not his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. So obviously this comes from the New Testament and Christ is teaching here. And I was really taken aback because when people have made mistakes and they feel that they've gone too far or whatever and they need to repent, sometimes they go to the place of saying I am bad, I am worthless, when in all reality they're just unworthy at that time. And I don't think that worthiness and worth are interchangeable and I think, because the words sound so similar, it creates this problem within the church, where our mistakes become our identities and we wear those for years and years down the road. They become all we talk about, they become our baggage or they become the things that we feel are going to keep us from ever progressing in the gospel, ever returning to our heavenly father, when in reality they're not going to. If we continue to follow Christ and we continue to do the things he asks of us, and because I firmly believe one day he will help us overcome these things, and the reason I have seen this so much is I had in one of my wards I was an Elkhorn president and I ran an addiction recovery class president and I ran an addiction recovery class and it was hard to see so many men carry the certain issues with them, and you could tell that they constantly felt like they weren't worthy of even being at church.
Speaker 1:They weren't even worthy of forgiveness or being loved, or they even held themselves back from holding a calling or taking the sacrament when not directly told to do so. And I'm not saying what they did was wrong to do, that Everything is up to a personal choice but I think there is instances where we allow our mistakes to hold us back because we feel like we're worthless, because we feel like we have no use in the Lord's kingdom, and so I guess what I'm really wanting to get out of this episode today is how do we reconcile our worthiness with our infinite worth? Because we've been taught from a very young age that we have infinite worth in God's eyes, right. However, as we go throughout life, we do things and we are told we are unworthy for a time. And it says, when someone tells us like hey, you're unworthy for a time, you can't participate in these blessings, that you're also saying you're not as useful, you're not as of as much worth as you were before this, and I really want to deconstruct these two words and really may add some light on how these can really transform the way we live the gospel and how we feel about ourselves. Because when I think we have a correct understanding of these two things, I think it makes all the difference, and that's what it did for me. I'm going to come back to the scripture I read at the beginning, but first I kind of want to deconstruct these two words. So, and on top of that, I also want to be able to give some substitutes for these words that will prompt you of their true meaning, versus getting them confused, right.
Speaker 1:So after I read the scripture, I was like well, how do I understand? Like, am I really? Do I really have infinite worth when I'm unworthy? And so the first thing I went to was the guide to the scriptures, and I looked up worthy or worthiness. And in the guide to the scriptures it says this to be personally righteous and to stand approved in the sight of God and his appointed leaders. So that was the kickstart to what I wanted to dive into worthiness. So basically, it's saying that you are personally righteous and you stand approved not only by your leaders but by God's eyes too. That right there doesn't sound a lot like worth, because when we talk about worth, we're talking about the value or the equivalent of that value for something or someone. When we're considering it, either for a purchase right how much is something worth when we go to buy it? Or how would we rate it as well? And so I kind of like started reading a ton of stuff, and one of my favorite things to do is this is where AI is a great thing. I don't think you should use it to write all your talks and all that stuff.
Speaker 1:But I asked ChatGBT tell me the difference between worthiness and worth. And then I told kind of like our cultural context to that and I really loved what it came to say about worthiness. So it kind of took that idea of being like personally righteous and it kind of spat out these things and it says this relates to spiritual standing based on obedience to God's commandments. It may affect your access to certain blessings Entering the temple, holding callings or partaking of the sacrament. Are some of these blessings right?
Speaker 1:However right, however, worthiness can change, but only through repentance, and I thought that was a key part. Worthiness is changeable, but it is reliant upon if we're willing to repent. The second part is worthiness isn't about perfection. It's about having a repentant heart and striving to follow Christ. So even as we start digging into worthiness right, we actually start to see that it's a lot different than worth, because, first, it's changeable. Second, we can only change it through repentance. But it's also not perfection either. And I think this is very key, because what I see is when people feel unworthy, they're actually feeling that they're in a permanent state of unworthiness and they continue down that path. And I just want to show you, guys, how this can be very detrimental to your spiritual well-being, because the more you feel that you have zero worth to the people around you, to God, you will start behaving in such a manner too.
Speaker 1:I've seen, when people feel like they're unworthy and it's their identity, it's in a permanent attribute they turn down callings. They don't feel that they can share their testimony, even though I really think they might have a beautiful testimony. They also feel that they can't progress and try to attain, like a temple recommend. If that is a tactic of this, it's working right, because it's holding you back from receiving greater blessings, and not only greater blessings, but greater access to the atonement of Christ, like, for example, the endowment is a gift of greater access to Christ. And I think, like sometimes, when we feel unworthy, really what we need to do is continue forward. When we feel unworthy, really what we need to do is continue forward. And I think that is a very important thing. We need to learn from understanding worthiness is.
Speaker 1:Worthiness is not permanent. It changes day to day and sometimes it can be almost personal preference. Some people will tell themselves over and over again that they're unworthy, tell themselves over and over again that they're unworthy. They're unworthy when, if they were to go talk to a leader or a judge in Israel, they would be told they're not unworthy of the things they think that they aren't. And so I just want to kind of encapsulate that Worthiness is changeable through repentance.
Speaker 1:Okay, so coming back. So now we're looking at worth, right? So first off, from what I've studied and learned, worth is eternal and infinite. It started before this life. Your worth wasn't inherently given to you right here and now. So, knowing that at any point where you feel like I have no worth, I am useless whatever, that's not true, because you had infinite worth prior to this life and it has continued with you in this life, regardless of your actions.
Speaker 1:And I think it's easier to think about worth in this sense, because sometimes, with worthiness, we can say because of this action, I am now unworthy, or I am, I no longer can receive these blessings, I am no longer in good standing, yada, yada, right. However, every person remains a child of God that he holds dear, and that doesn't change and that doesn't diminish. So when you sin, it's not like your status as a child of God has changed, because that right there is your infinite worth and that is your identity that you are a child of God who has essentially a deity for a father. You have divine DNA and no one can take that from you. Not even the actions you take can take that from you. Not even the actions you take can take that from you. And that's why you have infinite worth is because it's who. You are not based off of who, what you've done and what you've accomplished. So when we talk about worth, it's an identity, while worthiness is an action that we take or an effect.
Speaker 1:Worthiness whether we're worthy or unworthy is a state that comes in connection with certain actions, right, and so I think we want to hold that idea so at any time. I think where the lines get blurred is we really think that our actions actually become our identity, and everything I studied and learned God tries to pull those two apart. And what I really want to take away from this is, if we can, in times of hardship or struggles or sin, if we turn back to our identity and go to the source, who can help us know our identity and how he feels about us, that can actually impact our worthiness going forward. So and I guess to contextualize this, for example, there's been times in my own life where I have made mistakes and when I went to a bishop and wanted to talk about these things and move through the repentance process, I realized that I would enter in to that bishop's office, we'd have a conversation and I would get love expressed to me. And I'm not just saying like, I felt that love too.
Speaker 1:And there's been multiple times in those scenarios where the Spirit was so present and so strong, bearing witness to me in probably this, in my opinion, I should not have been receiving love because of the mistakes I made, but right then, and there in those instances, god was saying I love you, you matter to me and I don't want you to feel like this anymore and we're going to get you back on track. That was the message every time, whether it was coming from like an earthly angel in the form of a leader, or if it was a spiritual impression that was left upon my heart. Either way, the effect was the same. I always left those meetings wanting to do better, renewing and doubling down on my efforts to have and live a righteous life. And because I did those things, I became worthy.
Speaker 1:I was using my divine identity to change the behavior, and I really think that is what God wants us to hold on to. He wants us to know our worth and why we matter. Because when we're constantly being encouraged, we are more courageous in our efforts, we are more brave, we are more determined, more diligent to do all the things because we have this constant encouragement from our Heavenly Father. So kind of wrapping up that part. So, to contrast, this worthiness is changeable through repentance. Worth infinite worth is inherent, unchanging, because it is who we are. It's our identity which is unchangeable. No one can take away from us that we're a child of God.
Speaker 1:So, after a lot of time thinking about this, if I were to really try to dive deep into creating words that better explain these concepts, I would tell people, instead of saying you have infinite worth, I would say you have divine value, because that's truly what it is. We have value to a divinity. And then I would change worthiness if I were to try to create a word or phrase that embodied that whole meaning better. To try to create a word or phrase that embodied that whole meaning better, I would call it spiritual readiness or suitability, because when we are living the right way, we are spiritually ready to receive any guidance and act upon God's will or to do the work that God wants us to do. When we are living the right way, we are spiritually ready, just like how military or police personnel they have to have readiness to go into combat. It's essentially saying the same thing we are spiritually ready to go into a spiritual combat zone. And so I think we all need to find those meanings and really envelop those meanings in our lives. So use your divine value to inspire you to become spiritually ready so you can take on anything that comes your way or God puts in your way or he places upon you in the form of a responsibility.
Speaker 1:So, coming back to that original scripture where Christ says and he that taketh not his cross and followeth after me is not worthy of me. I think what's really great about this part is I kind of want to elaborate on what I think Christ's definition of worthy or worthiness would be. And as I was studying around this subject, christ says those who are not worthy of him have not taken up their cross right and don't follow him. Ulysses Suarez kind of elaborated on this in his talk called Take Up your Cross and he says being entirely submissive to the will of the Father, just as he did. This is, in fact, the price to be paid for the salvation of a soul. Jesus purposely and metaphorically used the symbol of a cross to help his disciples better understand what sacrifice and devotion to the Lord's cause would truly mean. I love this Because he kind of really adds all these details to what worthiness is, and it is to follow him and deny ourselves of all the evils of the world and really reign in that control.
Speaker 1:So we direct our will, our agency, in the right path, and sometimes it might take a lot. It might mean we sacrifice everything and even to his point, our life if necessary, and that is the price for salvation of a soul. Yes, you have great worth as a child of God, but that doesn't guarantee that you're saved. It means you have the potential to be saved and become like our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, but it does mean we need to follow in their footsteps, do Christ-like actions, say Christ-like words and think and feel in a Christ-like way. And so one thing I think that this looks like on a day-to-day basis is, when life doesn't go your way, you don't abandon hope. When you have natural weaknesses, you don't allow them to keep you from embracing Christ. When you have committed serious sin, you seek help and repentance. When you have failed, you get back up and try again.
Speaker 1:In each of those steps that I just said, the inspiration, the motivation comes from a divine source. God has told us time and time again we have infinite worth or divine value, and because we have that, he doesn't give up on us, he doesn't abandon us, he doesn't stop trying until the bell is rung. And we have years, a lifetime, to get this right. And that's why we can't give up, because he's not giving up on us, but he also can't force us. And so we have to use our agency to choose spiritual readiness. And so we have to use our agency to choose spiritual readiness and sometimes feeling the disappointments and the obstacles of life make us question if we can be spiritually ready. But the thing is, we're not trying to be worthy on our own. We're not trying to be spiritually ready on our own. We're trying to do this with Christ on our own, we're trying to do this with Christ.
Speaker 1:So if you don't feel like you have the power to change, it's because you don't, and it means you need to turn to Christ more. If you feel there's a lack, if you feel like there's a huge disappointment in your life, you must turn to him. And I promise you I've felt this so many times that at my lowest point, when I needed that encouragement the most, christ entered in His grace. That has come through him. Performing the atonement enters in and empowers me, strengthens me to do more than I thought I could.
Speaker 1:Elder Suarez ends his talk with this and he says please never give up after subsequent failures and consider yourself incapable of abandoning sin and overcoming addiction. You cannot afford to stop trying and thereafter continue in weakness and sin. Always strive to do your best, manifesting through your works the desire to cleanse the inner vessel, as taught by the Savior. So, guys, the good news is. Repentance restores worthiness, but your worth never needs to be restored because it was never lost. And with that said, remember Little Flock. Despair not build upon the rock, do good and always hear him See ya, hey, little Flock. If you found this episode beneficial to your testimony, remember to leave a review, share with others and follow for more.