The true measure of a person.

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What is the true measure of a person?  Is it the job they have, the house they live in, or is it something completely different?  How you answer these questions is going to depend on how you see yourself in relation to the rest of the planet.  If you only see yourself as an insignificant person, only taking up space and just waiting for the world to come to an end, then my guess is you would say that success is solely based on position, processions, and other worldly things.  If on the other hand you realize the significance of your being here, that you in fact are a master of your domain, then you will see the true measure of a person as what that person is doing for the rest of humanity.

I've known many people in my life who had the abilities to do whatever they desired, but what they lacked was the will or desire to do for others.  They had been taught the value of a dollar, but in that teaching there was a vital part of the puzzle missing:  that which you do to the least among you.   We live in a world today where many have forgotten that giving and loving, sharing and caring, are benchmarks of those who truly love life, who understand the meaning of humanity, and who desire everyone to experience life to the fullest.

I do not begrudge someone from being successful and having all the spoils of that success.  I work hard for what I have, but I freely give because quite frankly I have been blessed beyond measure when it comes to what I do.  If I decided to keep my gifts all to myself what good would that do the rest of the world?  If I decided to keep all of my processions, simply because I earned them, what does that say to the rest of the population?  I give not because I have a lot to give, I give because that is my nature, and my nature is reflective of the nature of the one that created me.  Trust me, I have freely given even when that meant going without myself.  I'm not telling you this to solicit sympathy or words of praise.  I'm telling you this because I want you to begin to think about the things you are doing, and the reason behind doing them.  If you are trying to take over the world simply to be remembered for it, then you are doing it for the wrong reason.  If you are attempting to do something great because it will benefit the rest of the world, then by all means move forward, and let me know how I can help you achieve your goal.

The true measure of a person is how deeply do you love your neighbor, how badly do you want to reach out and help another person in need, and how much can you give away and realize that there is still more then you could ever use in a lifetime?  The true measure of a person is the capacity to love, to nurture, to educate, and to be there for others even when it is inconvenient to do so.  I know lots of people who profess to want to help others, but that help is only going to happen if it falls into their timetable and does not upset their plans in any way.  Trust me I'm not beating those people up.  I'm sure they have a very valid reason why they do what they do, but let me ask you this:  is it always convenient to help those in need?  I can't say yes to every request made to me, there just aren't enough hours in the week, or days in the month to do so.  I will however swear to my own hurt.  If I tell someone I will do something you can take it to the bank that I will do what I say I will do.  I have always believed that you let your yes be yes, and your no be no.

 There are going to be times in your life when you are not going to be able to help someone.  That's OK.  There have been plenty of times in my life that I wished I had more money to do for someone.  I guarantee if I had the money I would have given it.  What I had to learn was that it was OK not to be the one to help.  There are plenty of other people out there with the means to help others, you don't have to be the only one doing good things.  There is a huge difference between being willing to do something and just not recognizing the need.  If you don't have the means to financially help someone, that doesn't mean you are less a person.  Your hearts desire is what is important, not the actual act itself.  There are plenty of people who have an over abundance and yet are stingy with their bounty.  Conversely there are people out there who have very little, but they do find ways to be givers, because that is their nature.

The true measure of a person is not what you do, what you give, but what is in your heart to do.  The true measure of a person is not measure in dollars and cents, minutes and hours, or even months and years.  The true measure of a person is how much do you love your fellow man, and just how important is it to you that they find happiness and love?  It's great to have the nice house, the fancy car, the never ending list of toys to play with, but at the end of the day all that stuff is going to fall apart and there is nothing you will be able to do about it.  However, that smile that you shared with that stranger the other day, now that is something that will eventually travel around the world.   The hug that came just at the right time to the person living down the hall, now that will pay off dividends to future generations.

It is time to get away from measuring everything in ways that we feel is appropriate.  You can't put a money figure on love.  You can't measure the weight of a caring touch, or a loving embrace.  The real important things in life are never going to be measured by how much it is worth, or what it can do for you to make your life more comfortable.  The real important things in life are priceless, and yet most of them are free.

The true measure of a person is in their capacity to love unconditionally.  I love what I do for a living, but I assure you I would still do it even if it never brought in a single penny.  I do what I do because I love it, and I want to share it with others.  I do what I do because I know that someone where down the line someone else will pick up my mantle and do the same things.  You may never know the true measure of your worth, but I can promise you this:  the rest of the world will know it.  When you give from your heart, you give to the rest of humanity.  Those gifts of love, of time, of patience, and of understanding, are fostering those same traits in others for them to give as well.  It is the cycle of love, caring, and understanding that is the true measure of a person, and quite frankly it is the true measure of any society.  It is time to teach the rest of the world just what the true measure of a person is, and you can do that by displaying each and every day.  Try it, you will like it.