Ephesians 2:8 — For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God.
Lie #1 – ‘I am not enough’. The struggle is real. I have a litany of “enoughs” that I have always felt that I need to achieve before I will feel like a good person, before I will feel confident enough to evangelize by sharing my thoughts or songs, before I will be deserving of a relationship with Jesus. I need to lose weight, organize my house, have a robust prayer life, journal, volunteer, and whathaveyou. Meanwhile Jesus is following me around thisclose with his arms wide open waiting for me to notice him, to accept him. Yes, my Lord and Savior needs me to accept him. He loves me just as I am.
Lie #2 – ‘I am enough’. For this world, it is true. On a Heavenly scale, I am not enough. I am a sinner; a saint-in-training. I am in need of a Savior. I do not need to be any of the “enoughs” in Lie #1 to receive God’s grace and forgiveness; His gift of salvation. I only need to believe that Jesus died for my sins and ask for forgiveness.
How easy it is to get bogged down in trying to be enough or worse, thinking you alone are enough. I’m a good person. I work hard. I love my family. I don’t cheat on my taxes. I only speed a little. I donate to charity. I don’t hurt anyone. Heaven here I come! No? Well I can at least hold the door for the tax collector.
How difficult it is to humble myself before my Lord, offering all of my flaws and failures. How much more difficult to humble myself before my Lord, offering all of my successes. Because good or bad, it is difficult to let go of what is mine–to let go of myself. To surrender. But it is in the act of letting go of our “enoughs” that we can place our trust in God’s perfect plan.
admin
I have been married to Jason for 28 years and we have been blessed with 2 daughters--Stephanie and Emily. A cradle Catholic, I identify with Martha, who was so busy being busy that she missed out on an opportunity to hang out with Jesus.