My value cannot exceed the value of my neighbor. Not in the sense of dollars and cents; but in the sense of intrinsic value. However, I cannot deny my value in the sense of contributing to the whole.

I am a part of the whole.

The whole does not exist without all of the parts.

My part is important.

My part contributes to the whole.

Much like a recipe, my part is not the most important ingredient, but it is important when I reference the recipe. If I were baking an apple pie, for instance, I could not leave out the cinnamon. The recipe may only call for a teaspoon of cinnamon; but, how would the pie taste without it? Or the crust? It is almost absurd to think of a true blue homemade American apple pie without a crust. There may be derivations for certain allergies or dietary needs, but truly. When I am talking apple pie, I am talking about a bottom crust, a top crust with a basketweave, and everything amazing in between.

How can the world be the world without me? It would continue to spin, churn, orbit, and time would go on. However, for me not to contribute to the whole of the world and to lock myself in my room and ignore the rest of the world is to say me meeting my own needs makes me more important than anyone else in the world.

There may be seasons to back off and healing; but as a rule, I can say that I should be contributing to the world at large. The world at large should also be a better place because of my contributions. I am a needed ingredient to the flavor of the recipe. The cinnamon contributes as a spice, so I should contribute as a participant in the world’s turning.

What are your contributions? What contributions are you holding back from the world?

Spicy,

–JT