Our Worth Is Not Tied to Our Productivity

At the April 2025 Latter-day Saint General Conference, Sister Tamara W. Runia raised two hands and kept one hand high, representing our worth. The other hand represented our obedience. The hand representing our worth never came down.

Our worth as divine descendants is a fixed value, whereas other values are variable.

It's easy to tie our inherent worth to our productivity because of how businesses, schools, governments, and sports rate us on it. Those metrics can be very important in those spheres, but in our personal sphere, productivity is secondary.

We inherit our worth from the moment of conception--the moment we become a unique being.

Lately, I've been frustrated with myself because I have been using an unfair metric of productivity. I compare myself to those who can do more. Yet I rarely view others as less than because they can't be productive. I do wish those who are able will choose to accomplish some good.

I want to rate myself by how much I can earn, how many chores I can do, how many words I can write in an essay, ad infinitum. I sometimes want to apply that productivity measure on my children too. Why can't you brush your teeth every day? Why won't you take a bath once in a while?

This summer I was in a car accident, and now I have whiplash. I hear of whiplash and don't think much of it, but it has increased headaches and muscle soreness. Immediately after the accident, I only felt dazed but not in physical pain. I had frequent muscle and headache tension before (don't we all?) which has increased since the accident.

After a lack of sleep and waking with more pain on Monday morning, I realized that working is off the table for several months. I like having some time off, so I can catch up on some errands. My mind tumbles through all the possibilities I have with this extra time: get a Master's, start a homestead/trade school, build starter homes, publish a novel, become an influencer, be a political pundit, have a clean house. But then on days when a headache strikes, I can only do the basics. Besides, most of these ideas require money and time beyond me.

But my worth exists simply from being. Just like pets who bring us joy, yet we don't require much of them. Their worth is in their presence. Our worth is in our presence from conception to natural death (and beyond).

There's still value in productivity when we can help others. That productivity brings us greater confidence when we do hard things. We build resilience; we build personal joy. Productivity isn't quite the right word, but trying, learning, and doing what we can.

That's one reason I enjoyed working--because it held meaning. We can see the difference when a child learns to read. See the difference when a child can independently go down the firepole. Being a parent also brings a sense of meaning. Hearing my third son talk clearly after years of speech therapy. Hearing my oldest son's name at high school graduation after he flunked eighth grade during Covid.

We have our constant worth, and we have confidence when we do what we can. When we recognize we've done what we can. We can be tethered to our divine worth while finding our confidence in other areas. Our productivity doesn't have to look like others'. Sometimes our work can be as simple as a smile or a joke. Sometimes a smile may be all we can do.

Have you smiled at someone today? Or just smiled at yourself?