I am almost 21-years-old and I don’t have my life together. I don’t know where I’m going to live after graduation, who I’m going to marry, how many kids I’m going to have, or where I’m going to work. One thing I do know is my relationship with Christ. Like most people, I have been on a roller coaster with it. Sometimes I’m on fire and sometimes I’m lukewarm. Typically during the season of waiting, I’m on fire for God. At least I think I am.

I was driving today with the radio blasting and "Promises" by Elevation Worship came on K-Love and stopped me dead in my tracks. The lyrics radiated through my car, while I felt my heart drop into my chest:

“You will always be more than enough for me. You will always be more than enough for me. Nothing’s gonna stop the plans You've made, nothing’s gonna take Your love away. You will always be more than enough for me.”

I remember thinking, OK, I’m chasing after God, but I’m also chasing after men. I want a man to love. But, wait. If God is enough for me, why do I have such a desire to get married and settle down? Is God really enough for me? I guess He’s never been enough for me. I remember holding my mouth, terrified of the realization I just came to. If God was really enough for me, I wouldn't be searching for someone to invest my love in. I would only be searching for more of God’s unconditional love.

Last week, I wrote about a man who didn’t appreciate my unconditional love, and how I would never settle for someone like that again. Yet, here I am -- looking for someone to love, looking for someone or something to fill the void only God can fill.

I am chasing after God with everything I have, but it doesn’t seem to be enough for me. For some reason, immediate gratification seems more appealing than delayed gratification in Christ. The devil has an interesting way of convincing us God is never enough. He puts drugs, alcohol, relationships, sex, jobs, schools, and acceptance at the top of our priority list. He tries so hard to get us to worry about the world’s acceptance, rather than God’s acceptance. He tries to get us to chase after people, instead of the One who has been chasing after us.

I spend about 14 hours a week at the gym. I work so hard to maintain my body image and I thrive off of other people’s comments about my dedication. I chase after health and a muscular physique. However, I typically forget what God thinks about it. First Corinthians 6:19 reminds us that our bodies are not our own. They remind us our bodies are temples of Christ, and we have received them from God. God wants us to take care of our bodies. He wants us to live healthy lives. But nowhere in the Bible does it tell me to kill myself at the gym 14 hours a week. Nowhere does it tell me if I have a few extra pounds I’m ugly. Nowhere does it tell me people will not love me if I’m overweight. Nowhere does it tell me God will not love me if I’m overweight.

I work so hard to impress other people. I try to defy odds and prove people wrong. I try to go above and beyond what is asked of me. I try to be noticed. I try to accept people where they’re at and be remembered for my love and kindness. I try to be accepted. I tell people, “I don’t care what people think of me. I only care what God thinks of me.” But my actions say the complete opposite. At night, I do a few minutes of devotions, then go to sleep. Yet, during the day I spend 12 plus hours a day trying to better myself. I focus on myself and other people’s opinions for over 12 hours a day, and only a few minutes focusing on God and His view of me. How hypocritical of me. My words say “God is enough,” but my actions do not.

We are all guilty of this. We look for immediate gratification through superficial pleasures such as drugs or sex, instead of focusing on delayed gratification in Christ. We spend a few hours on Sunday mornings worshiping God, and essentially forget about Him for the rest of the week. We focus on people and their opinions instead of God and His opinions. At the end of our lives, other people are not going to be judging you. It will just be you and God. You’re going to have to answer why you spent 12 plus hours a day trying to impress yourself and others, and only a few minutes with Him. You’re going to have to accept how skewed your priorities were, and by that point it will be too late to change them. We never know when we’ll die, so it’s time to start living our lives in a way we would be proud of. It’s time to start living for the One who is enough.

The sooner we realize God really is enough, the sooner we will stop chasing superficial, materialistic things which make us feel good in the moment. How beautiful would it be if we allowed the lyrics of "Promises" echo into our minds, hearts, words, and actions: “Nothing’s gonna stop the plans You've made, nothing’s gonna take Your love away. You will always be more than enough for me.”

God’s plans for our lives will always outweigh our plans for our lives. Nothing is going to stop God’s plans. Nothing. He will always love us, and He will keep chasing after us, even when we are chasing other things. Try to build your life on God’s acceptance and realize Him and His plans are enough. Allow Him to prepare you for your future and trust Him with it. Allow Him to be enough for you.