I think it's so human and honest of us when we feel inadequate.
Because we recognize we all have weaknesses.
Maybe it's for a job, a new position, becoming a parent, spouse, or being a friend
All real fears.
We all know our limitations, our flaws, and the mistakes that we've made.
Knowing we hurt people, we disappoint them, and maybe even fail ourselves at times.
And sometimes this fear stops us from pursuing something, and other times, it's through being that parent or spouse, realizing you have to push through, there is no way out now that you discover a grace.
That though you were inadequate before, and maybe still are, there is this grace that allows us to learn and to develop new skills we may not have had before.
I think the same thing can be said for Christianity. There are so many of us that see all the mistakes we've made, the disappointments, and flaws, and believe we are unworthy.
We are incapable of ever being a Christian.
We can talk ourselves out of it, and others do it to us as well.
The danger is that we are always going to feel underqualified, and incapable, and others will always be there right alongside us saying the same things, but you have to know what's true about you. Because at the end of the day, positive reinforcement, and love is not always going to be shown to us through our friends, or our loved ones, and we are the worst at giving that to ourselves.
But that doesn't mean we give up.
We all might not feel qualified, or worthy of something, but that doesn't mean we don't try, and we don't put our best foot forward.
In Mark 2:17, Jesus says, " I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners."
None of us meet the standard.
We will never be good enough Christians for other Christians.
We cannot meet the standards of others, and even some of the standards we set for ourselves.
As Christians, I think we need to stop pretending that we are any better than anyone else because it isn't true. No degree, no amount of missions trips, or Sunday services make you more qualified, or worthy.
We are all so unworthy, so underqualified, and inadequate.
Which is why we are ALL in desperate need of a Savior.
No one is too far gone, or undeserving.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."