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Does this sound familiar?
You can clearly see that God is calling you in a particular direction. Maybe it’s writing a book, or changing careers, or even starting a blog.
Maybe He’s calling you to join a ministry or even start one in your community.
But you’re hesitant. You’re not sure you have what it takes.
You look around at others who have gone before you. They’re educated and smart; succeeding at what they do.
But you feel you constantly fall short of God’s expectations. You think about your past and the things you’ve struggled with; maybe things you’re still struggling with.
There’s so much in your life that needs cleaning up. Are you even capable of doing anything significant for God?
Well, here’s a secret. You’re not the first person to think this way and you won’t be the last.
When God told Moses that he would be the one to deliver the Israelites from Egypt, Moses hesitated. He gave God all the reasons he wasn’t good enough for the job.
And in the Parable of the Talents, the master gave each servant talents “according to their ability”. But the one-talent man didn’t believe in his ability. He didn’t think he had what it took to get the job done.
They didn’t think they were enough. And in one sense, we aren’t, really. None of us can fulfill our calling without the help of God.
But, on the other hand, we often cannot step out into God’s plans for us because we think we need to become a better person first. We need to fix things. We need to overcome our struggles so we can be more acceptable and then God can use us.
Well, here’s what God wants you to know… you are enough.
Not enough in the sense that you have arrived; that you can sit back, relax. That you can just take it easy and ride out the rest of your life.
So what does “you are enough” mean? It means you’re simply enough in the sense that you don’t have to do anything to make yourself acceptable to God. You don’t have to go to church more, memorize all the right scriptures or wear the right clothes. You don’t even have to overcome your present struggles before you make yourself available to Him.
You are enough because you are His child.
And we know this, right? But it’s often hard to remember this truth when you’ve tried and failed yet again. It’s hard to remember this truth when the vision He’s given you seems too much for you to accomplish. It’s hard to remember that you’re STILL enough.
So how do you stop thinking you’re not good enough? Well, when you find yourself thinking this way and you become discouraged, ask yourself these four questions.
1. WHEN YOU THINK YOU’RE NOT ENOUGH, ASK WHAT’S MY MEASURING STICK?
Everyone has a part to play in God’s ultimate plan and it’s a part that’s unique to who you are. It’s a job created only for you; only you can do it; it makes no sense comparing yourself to someone else.
You can’t judge yourself by someone else’s journey. You never know where a person is at. It might look like they’re getting ahead when you’re not. But they might have started their journey long before you did. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.
The truth is, even though it often looks that way on the outside, people never really have it all together.
I sometimes struggle with writer’s block and I think to myself, I should have this figured out by now. But when I found out that even published authors struggle with writer’s block, I felt better. It was good to know that it wasn’t just me.
Don’t compare yourself to others because your journey and their journey will never look the same. You’re enough for the journey that God has given you.
2. WHAT IS MY DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?
Have you defined what success means to you? Are you living by someone else’s definition of success?
Most of us have been taught that to be successful you have to go to college and get a good job like a doctor or a lawyer or a bank manager. I’m sure all of us know at least one person who’s parents discouraged them from becoming a musician or an artist because those jobs “don’t make any money”.
A stay-at-home mom might feel like she doesn’t have a “real” job and a working mom might feel like she doesn’t spend enough time with her family. The definition of success for a stay-at-home mom and a mom who works outside the home will be different. But neither of them is wrong. It’s based on what either woman values in her relationship with her family.
If the stay-at-home mom measures her success by the values of the mom who works outside the home, she will often feel inadequate.
You might have a different definition of success to either of those two women. And that’s okay. You should base your definition of success on your values. Not the values of someone else.
3. WHAT WINS CAN I CELEBRATE?
Give yourself a break. Shut up your inner critic. You know, that inner voice that says, you always mess up and that you’ll never get anything right.
My inner voice can get loud and critical. It often tells me that no one wants to read what I write, or that I’ll never generate income online and have to get a “gasp” “real job”. He (cos we know who that inner voice really is) used to be good at getting me to believe this, but I’m getting better at telling him to shut up.
You can deal with your inner critic by reminding him (and yourself) of all the “good things” you’ve done. Your wins. Keep track of things you’ve accomplished. You can keep these wins in a physical box or a digital folder.
It might be a box of encouraging notes or letters you’ve received. Or an award for a particular achievement. Even a voice note on your phone.
If you’re a blogger, you can save encouraging comments left by readers or if you’re a business owner save positive feedback from your clients or customers.
Whenever your inner critic gets too loud and you feel you’re not enough, go back through these “wins” and find something to encourage yourself. Drown out the noise.
4. WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT ME? he thinks you are enough
This is the last point, but that’s because it’s the most important one. If you only remember one thing from this post, let it be this.
If God has given you an assignment, it’s because He believes that you can do it. If God thinks you’re enough, then you are. Nothing in your past and nothing you’re struggling within the present can change that.
God isn’t afraid to use you where you are at right now while He fixes things behind the scenes. He’s still perfecting you and He is faithful to complete what He started in you.
He knows what He placed in you when He created you and He’s given you a calling “according to your own ability”. If He says you’re qualified, then you’re qualified and no one can say otherwise.
When you see yourself as God sees you; capable of accomplishing all the plans He has for you, you’ll gain the confidence to step out, even knowing that you don’t know everything. Even knowing that you might fail.
Remember that nothing can ever disqualify you from your purpose (except maybe not accepting it in the first place).
Whenever you feel you’re not enough; like you have to work harder to be acceptable to others, or like you’re not qualified for a certain task, ask yourself these four questions. And above all, remember that Your Father in heaven loves you with unconditional love, and you are always enough.
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