The Sunday School’s gospel doctrine manual for 1967–68 contains this worthwhile statement: “If a person finds himself unworthy and does not repent, he should attend sacrament meeting but have the courage not to partake of the sacrament. Those present who see another not partaking should not speculate about the reasons. We should all accept that one can allow the sacrament to pass by if he does not feel he should partake. One should neither miss sacrament meeting if he is not worthy to partake, nor partake because he feels social pressure. “For whose eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul …” (3 Ne. 18:29) p. 187; italics added.

(I added the bold there - Demeter)

When we take it upon ourselves to pass self-judgment and simply declare, “I am not worthy,” we build a barrier to progress and erect blockades that prevent our moving forward. We are not being fair when we judge ourselves. A second and third opinion will always be helpful and proper.

It occurs to me that there are probably hundreds or even thousands who do not understand what worthiness is. Worthiness is a process, and perfection is an eternal trek. We can be worthy to enjoy certain privileges without being perfect.

Perhaps it is reasonable to conclude that personal measurement or judgment oftentimes may be severe and inaccurate. We may get bogged down as we try to understand and define worthiness. All of us are particularly aware of our shortcomings and weaknesses. Therefore, it is easy for us to feel that we are unworthy of blessings we desire and that we are not as worthy to hold an office or calling as someone next door.

When we dwell on our own weaknesses, it is easy to dwell on the feelings that we are unworthy. Somehow we need to bridge the gap between continually striving to improve and yet not feeling defeated when our actions aren’t perfect all the time. We need to remove unworthy from our vocabulary and replace it with hope and work. This we can do if we turn to quieter, deeper, surer guidelines—the words of our prophets and leaders, past and present.