When You Feel You’re Not Enough

Thank you Sharon Jaynes for today’s message……

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

When I was six years old, I skipped off to school with a new box of crayons, a Swiss-polka-dotted dress, and fresh hope that I would be smart. But first grade only confirmed my greatest fear. I was “not enough.”

As soon as my first-grade teacher held up that initial spelling flashcard, I knew I was in trouble. We lined up our miniature wooden chairs in a row like a choo-choo train. The teacher held up a spelling flashcard for us to identify the word. If we missed the word, we had to go to the caboose. I spent most of the first grade in the caboose. I just couldn’t spell to save my life. For some reason, I especially had trouble with the word the.

I’ll help her, my teacher must have thought. She made me a nametag that read

t-h-e, and I had to wear it for two weeks. Students came up to me and asked, “Why are you wearing that tag?” “Is your name ‘The’?” “You must be stupid.” “What’s wrong with you?”

Well, I learned how to spell the word the, but that’s not all I learned. I learned I wasn’t as smart as everybody else, and once again, not enough. And even though I ended up doing well in school, many times I’ve still felt like that little girl in the caboose of the spelling train.

Moses was a man who felt he wasn’t good enough. When God spoke to him through a burning bush and called him to lead His people out of Egyptian bondage, he had a big case of the “not good enoughs.”

That’s when he had a one-sided argument with God. Moses told God he was the wrong man for the job. He wasn’t brave enough, strong enough, smart enough, eloquent enough, charismatic enough, or confident enough.

At one point, Moses said, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:13-15).

Moses was 80 years old when he had his argument with God at the burning bush. But even the weakest knees in the hands of I AM can become a mighty force to be reckoned with.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that you too, at one time or another, will struggle with feelings of inferiority, insecurity, and inadequacy just like Moses did. And the underlying statement feeding the sense of worthlessness is “I’m not __________ enough.” You can fill that blank in with any number of qualities.

But here’s what we need to remember: Whatever we feel we are not, God is. He is the God who fills in our gaps; He is I AM who fills in our blanks.

When we say, “I’m not strong enough,” God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I’m not wise enough,” God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I’m not bold enough,” God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I’m not smart enough,” God says, “I AM.”
When we say, “I’m not good enough,” God says, “I AM.”

Once we let go of the lies that we are not enough and take hold of the truth that we are more than enough because of Jesus’s presence and power in us, then we will be set free from paralyzing insecurity and be on our way to experiencing courageous confidence to do everything He calls us to do. It’s time get out of the caboose and sit up front with the Chief Engineer.

You want to know something amazing? One of my greatest weakness as a child was spelling words. And now that is what God has called me to do today…write with words. I stand with Paul who lamented about his weakness: “But he [God] said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV).

That’s what happens when we allow God to fill in our blanks. He turns what we perceive as our greatest weakness into our greatest strengths.

What is God calling you to do today? In what areas do you feel that you’re not enough? Oh friend, because of Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross, and His power in you, you are more than enough! Don’t forget it.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

 

NOTE:  Photo by Hello I’m Nik on Unsplash

Powerful Words

Happy Friday!  This week I learned just how powerful words can be and the impact that they can have on your day.

I EXPECTED the week to start of great, I mean it was my birthday, right?  I had visions of what other people would do to make my day special.  Instead of focusing on me, I spent the day supporting hubby and taking my MIL for an outpatient procedure.  The day was shot.  Hubby and my MIL was grateful.  I knew it was the right thing to do.  As I reflect, I am glad that I did because hubby had a rough day health wise. Blessed with birthday wishes from near and far, it wasn’t what I expected and the end result was that I spoke into existence “just another day”.

As I woke up the next morning, I realized that I had missed all of the blessings along the way.  My attention was focused on what I didn’t have versus what I had and so it became “just another day”.  There is power in words and once you speak of something and send it out into the Universe it becomes true whether it is negative or positive.  No, I am not on a pity pot.  No, I am not looking for sympathy.  It is an AHA moment that may help someone else who is feeling a little down because things didn’t go quite the way they planned.

My week got better because my words got better which changed my vision.  Take a few minutes to write down 4 or 5 things that you want, be very specific about what you want and why you want these things.  I am going to be VERY transparent here with my “wants”:

• I want to enjoy my life looking at the positives instead of letting the negatives effect my relationships.  This will make me happier and my marriage stronger.
• I want to build relationships with my existing and potential customers, hostesses, and team.  This will allow me to help others while growing my business.
• I want to learn how to manage my money so that I be debt free from credit card debt.  This why is a little harder for me.  I just know that I need to be a better steward of my money and I am tired of being in debt.
• I want to maintain my goal weight.  I know in my head that this is for improved health, to eliminate the aches and pains that I have and to live a long life.  BUT I haven’t found an emotional connection to why I want to do this.  I know I should.  I know I like the compliments even though I feel that I don’t deserve them.

Look at all the areas of your life, career, relationships, health, and wellness.  What are your wants?  Are they tangible wants?  Do you feel a tug on your heart when you put those wants on paper?

It is time to take action.  Choose one of the things that you want and create a powerful mantra around this goal. Then say it out loud at least twice a day in the morning and at night. You will continue to say this until you feel it, know it and until it shows up!  Not sure how to create a mantra that is YOUR own?  Start off your mantra with the words “I AM” or “I WILL”.  Here is mine:

I WILL focus on the positives being thankful for each moment.

What is your mantra for today?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!