And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,” leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!” Romans 8:15 (TPT)
As I read this verse today, I couldn’t help but think about all the times I have not felt “good enough” in my life. Whether it was the awkward, hormone-crazed years as a teenager, the weary days of raising tantrum-throwing toddlers, or the everyday things I face as an adult where I mess up even though I “know better,” it’s easy to feel like I will never, ever be enough. How about you, my friend? Do you struggle with this? I’m guessing you do. I don’t think there’s a person in the world that doesn’t struggle with feelings of not being good enough. In fact, I read an article that says low self-esteem is at an all-time high. Not too surprising. And then when you get into the “spirit of religious duty” cycle that the verse up above talks about, it’s definitely game over. We’ll never measure up….EVER! And in a world that never seems to get enough of anything, how do we find that place of contentment and full acceptance? How do we authentically feel like we are enough? Maybe it’s in the word itself. Maybe it’s time to shout at the top of our lungs, ENOUGH! Enough comparing myself to others! Enough beating myself up when I mess up! Enough spending hours on social media and wondering why my life is so boring! Enough believing the lie that I have to somehow win God’s love and grace!
ENOUGH!
The truth is, I am more than enough in God’s eyes because He sees me through a lens of grace, love, and mercy.
“My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.” So I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (TPT)
This is where our hope and peace are found, in the upside-down world of grace. The weaker we are, the more “enough” we feel. I’m not sure I’ll ever get to the point that Paul, the writer, was where I will actually be able to celebrate my weaknesses, but boy, oh, boy does this verse give me hope. When I let these words come into my soul and sit awhile, when I breath them in and believe that they are for me, I feel peace. I feel joy. I feel hope. I struggle with enough. It’s a trap for me. What is enough, anyway? Can’t we always have just a little bit more? Can’t we always do just a little bit better? Don’t we always need just one more pair of shoes! Is it possible to reach that magical plateau of enough? But this morning in my quiet time, as I was talking to God about some hard things going on in my life and this whole idea of enough, God spoke these gentle words to my heart, “Jill, you have more than enough. You have me.” Cue the tears! You have more than enough and you are more than enough as well, my friend! God’s kingdom isn’t about earning and deserving, it’s about believing and receiving. I encourage you to make the choice to believe today that you are more than enough because God is more than enough. I’ll be choosing it right along with you and cheering you on! Hugs and love, Jill