The Lie: I'm not enough, especially compared to them.
There have been many times in my life that I don't feel like I am enough for anyone. That I am not good enough. I go to a Christian school, and have a few amazing Christian friends. The problem is... I tend to compare myself to them a lot. Sometimes I feel like I am not as good as them. They have better grades than I do, they play sports better than I do, their spiritual life is stronger than mine. I just... I'm not good enough, at least, not as good as them. They're so... perfect. And I'm so... not.
Why do I feel like I have to be as good as them? Why do I feel like I need to do better than them until I'm enough, to find my identity in ? Honestly, it gets tiring. Exhausting, even.
The Truth: I am enough, even though I'm not good enough...
At a week-long camp I attended a couple of years ago, we memorized some of Hebrews 12, which talks about running the race we have been called to run (the race meaning life). And while talking about that, someone said something I will never forget. Though we are all running the race of life that "is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1b ESV), that doesn't mean we're running a race against other people. We are all running at different speeds, and we're all at different levels and points of our race. Some are closer to the end goal (Heaven) than others, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to beat them or trying to pass them.
In other words, I shouldn't be comparing others' spiritual levels to my own (this is really hard for me to wrap my brain around sometimes). I shouldn't look at someone else and say that they are better than me. We're all sinners, and we all make mistakes. They're not perfect, I'm not perfect.
Sure, I'm not good enough. I'm a sinner, of course. No one is good enough to get into Heaven. That's why Christ came to save me! To pay off my debt of wrongs. But I'm saved by grace. I mean, God is the One who created me in the first place, and I know for certain that He didn't just make me so I would compare myself to others to measure up my worth. God MADE me to glorify Him, and that makes me enough... He made you too, and that makes YOU enough.
Photo Credit: http://smilescanbecatching.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/i-am-enough-for-my-god-my-god-is-enough-for-me-i-dont-need-to-seek-approval-in-the-hardened-eyes-of-others-i-dont-need-to-search-for-my-identity-in-this-twisted-world-my-god-is-enough-for-me-a/
Please, leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you. :)
There have been many times in my life that I don't feel like I am enough for anyone. That I am not good enough. I go to a Christian school, and have a few amazing Christian friends. The problem is... I tend to compare myself to them a lot. Sometimes I feel like I am not as good as them. They have better grades than I do, they play sports better than I do, their spiritual life is stronger than mine. I just... I'm not good enough, at least, not as good as them. They're so... perfect. And I'm so... not.
Why do I feel like I have to be as good as them? Why do I feel like I need to do better than them until I'm enough, to find my identity in ? Honestly, it gets tiring. Exhausting, even.
The Truth: I am enough, even though I'm not good enough...
At a week-long camp I attended a couple of years ago, we memorized some of Hebrews 12, which talks about running the race we have been called to run (the race meaning life). And while talking about that, someone said something I will never forget. Though we are all running the race of life that "is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1b ESV), that doesn't mean we're running a race against other people. We are all running at different speeds, and we're all at different levels and points of our race. Some are closer to the end goal (Heaven) than others, but that doesn't mean I'm trying to beat them or trying to pass them.
In other words, I shouldn't be comparing others' spiritual levels to my own (this is really hard for me to wrap my brain around sometimes). I shouldn't look at someone else and say that they are better than me. We're all sinners, and we all make mistakes. They're not perfect, I'm not perfect.
Sure, I'm not good enough. I'm a sinner, of course. No one is good enough to get into Heaven. That's why Christ came to save me! To pay off my debt of wrongs. But I'm saved by grace. I mean, God is the One who created me in the first place, and I know for certain that He didn't just make me so I would compare myself to others to measure up my worth. God MADE me to glorify Him, and that makes me enough... He made you too, and that makes YOU enough.
Photo Credit: http://smilescanbecatching.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/i-am-enough-for-my-god-my-god-is-enough-for-me-i-dont-need-to-seek-approval-in-the-hardened-eyes-of-others-i-dont-need-to-search-for-my-identity-in-this-twisted-world-my-god-is-enough-for-me-a/
Please, leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you. :)