I don’t know about you, but I’ve been told many times that “you are enough”. And honestly, every time I hear this, it is encouraging. I feel uplifted and good about myself. That is, until I fail again. Then I feel down, and I need someone to once again say “you are good enough”. It’s a cycle, and you can see how that cycle can become exhausting. When I base my worth on whether I’m enough or not, life can be pretty up and down. Because truth is, I’m not enough. And neither are you.
I know this sounds harsh and discouraging but if you think about it, this is such good news. Because if it is a fact that I am not enough, then there is no more pressure to keep striving for a goal I will never reach. But here’s the thing: I don’t need to be enough because God already is. Scripture tells us “there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” We literally cannot exist without Christ. So it’s obvious why we feel this sense of not being good enough when we search for that worth within ourselves. Because on our own, we are nothing. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
However, our lack of sufficiency does not detract from our worth. Trust me, God loves you. He died on a cross for you, you definitely are worth a whole lot to Him. But no, you are not enough on your own. But He is more than enough, so rest in Him. I’ve spent a lot of my life trying and trying to be good enough for others, for myself, and for God. But I’m tired of it. It gets me nowhere. So I’ve decided to lay down my pride and say with conviction that I am not good enough. 2 Corinthians 3:5 tells me that, “we are not sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.” My sufficiency is from God, and that is something that does not waver. Because I know God’s promises are true, I can say with a smile on my face “I am not enough”. I smile because I know He is good enough, and He has already won the race for me.
