You’re enough for His purpose.
Let’s play a little game. It’s called Two Truths and a Lie. You know, the one where someone says three things about themselves, and then people have to guess which one isn’t true. Here goes:
I’m not enough.
I’m not enough.
I’m not enough.
Wait. Isn’t that the same thing, repeated three times? Yeah, maybe. But that’s how a lot of us hear it in our heads, right? We hear “not enough” on repeat, three hundred times in three dozen ways. Every day. And the thing is, just like the game, all the statements seem like they could be true.
“I’m not smart enough” seems true when you get another rejection letter. “I’m not friendly enough” seems true when you’re left out of another get-together. “I’m not pretty enough” seems true when your husband is addicted to pornography. “I’m not strong enough” seems true when you’re battling chronic health problems. “I’m not valuable enough” seems true when you get laid off. “I’m not good enough” seems true when you’re literally anywhere, probably.
So, if all this “not enough” feels super true, how do we find the lie? Well, let’s use a little game strategy – we’ll eliminate the obvious truth first.
Truth: I’m Not Enough (for Everything).
Let’s be real. If you’re five-foot-three, you’re not the next NBA superstar. If you can’t carry a tune, you’re not the next famous pop singer. If you’re afraid of water, you’re not the next Olympic swimmer. And even if you beat the odds, you’re definitely not going to be all three. LeBron James doesn’t have enough to be Taylor Swift, and she doesn’t have enough to be Michael Phelps.
This is an obvious truth. No one is enough for everything. We are limited, finite individuals. We are not designed to be enough for everything. But Satan loves to twist truths…
Lie: I’m Not Enough (for Anything).
A little while ago, I sat with a mom friend whose daughter was having a hard time getting into college. She relayed her daughter’s words: “Mom, I’m so tired of feeling like I’m not enough.” And we both cried. Because we could hear the lie that was creeping in from a real truth. The truth of “I’m not enough for everything” (i.e. this or that college) was shifting inside to the lie of “I’m not enough for anything.”
This is the pain point. This is what we feel when we’re rejected or betrayed or weakened or discarded, like in any of those situations I mentioned above (and so many others). It goes like this: “I’m not ____ enough” sounds true because we know we’re not enough for everything. But it twists in our minds to simply “I’m not enough” – which still sounds true – and that echoes in our soul until what we really start to believe is “I’m not enough…for anything.”
And that’s the lie.
Say it to yourself. Say it louder and more often than the echoes. That. Is. A. Lie. And then battle it with the next truth, in two parts.
Truth: I’m Not Enough (and I’m Not Supposed to Be).
When we’re in the thick of “not enough,” it’s really hard to find our way out because the lie and the truth are so similar. It’s like walking in the woods at night – all the paths start to look the same. In those fuzzy times, a wise person once told me, “Back up to what you know is true.” Here’s what we know is true.
You Are Enough for Something.
You’re not enough for everything. That’s true. What’s also true is this: You are enough for something.
-You’re enough for a unique calling. (Ephesians 2:10)
-You’re enough for God’s love, just as you are. (1 John 4:19)
-You’re enough for Him to call you friend. (John 15:15)
-You’re enough for His purpose. (Proverbs 19:21)
Sometimes, simply knowing the truth of “I’m enough for something” isn’t, well, enough, though, is it? We’d like to quote these verses and feel completely confident and secure again. But life in a broken world doesn’t always work that way. We fail. Others fail us. Knowing we’re enough for something is great, but it doesn’t fully take away the pain of not being enough in that one area, the one that started the twisted-up lie.
That’s okay. This is just the first part, the part where we get the echo to stop. Because knowing “I’m enough for something” directly contradicts “I’m not enough for anything.” Now, let’s back up a little more.
God is Enough for Everything.
If we agree that we are enough for something – enough for His calling, love, friendship, purpose, and more – then that’s great. But that doesn’t necessarily address that one area, that one place where we really want to feel like enough. Because there we find, once again, that we’re not.
It goes like this: “It’s comforting to know that you call me friend, God, but I still really wanted to be invited to that outing.” I’m not fun enough, there. “It’s nice to know that you equipped me to be a parent, but I still feel like I’m messing it up.” I’m not good enough there.
Or it goes like this: “Thanks for reminding me I’m equipped in my ministry calling at church, but I still really wanted that job.” I’m not gifted enough, there. “Thanks for reminding me of the deep connections You provided with others, but I still wish my husband would choose me alone.” I’m not lovable enough, there.
Even if we get the echo to stop, the pinpoint of that original pain remains; it feels like a hollow place inside of us. Sure, we know that we’re not enough for everything, but man, we wish we were enough there. And suddenly, just like in the Garden, Satan gets us to focus on the one thing – the one tree, the one “enough” – that we want so badly, and we forget what we know to be true:
Only God is enough. For everything.
I want to be really careful here because that sounds like a platitude, and if you’re dealing with “not enough,” that’s the last thing you need. So please hear this gently; let it seep in quietly and slowly to the exact place where you still want so badly to be enough.
God is enough there. In you.
I know that place hurts in you. But He is enough for you, there. He is enough for that pain. He is enough for that desire. He is enough for that doubt, for that exhaustion, for that fear. You were never supposed to be enough for everything, but He is your enough – enough for everything. Let Him be enough in you, in the place that’s hollowed out by “not enough.”
And when you let Him into that place…what does He say there? I don’t know for sure; that’s a conversation for your heart alone. But it might sound a little like 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is enough for you here. My power works best in your ‘not enough’” (paraphrased).
Satan’s playing a game with your head and your heart. Do not let him win. Find that lie and battle it with two truths: You are enough for God’s love and unique plan. And God is enough for literally everything. Including you.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Fizkes
Melissa Richeson is a freelance writer and editor for Medi-Share, based in Central Florida. Her work has been featured in places like The Washington Post, Florida Today, Sunlight Press, BiggerPockets Wealth Magazine, WDW Magazine, and many other outlets. As a Medi-Share member, she shares regularly about her positive CCM experience over the past decade. Melissa can often be found in real life at the beach, or virtually on her freelance website.
