By Tara Beattie
I constantly fail with New Year’s Resolutions. I never last more than a week. So, I borrowed the idea of choosing a word to focus and reflect on from a friend. This word is something that I need to focus on to grow my relationship with Jesus for that upcoming year. In 2020, I chose the word, “patience.” We all know how that turned out. Not a word that I would recommend for anyone. Let’s be clear that 2020 was not my fault, but God answered with ample opportunities to work on my word for the year.
My word for 2021 was “enough.” This word has been something I have needed to wrangle for quite some time now. I have struggled with the lie that I am not “enough.” I have struggled with feelings of inadequacy. This struggle has included all aspects of my life- as a wife, mom, friend, daughter, and Christ follower. I battle internal thoughts that I am too hard-headed to be a good wife. I lost my temper with the kids and lashed out and so I am the worst mom in the world. A little extreme yes, but that is where we tend to go with these internal thoughts. Sometimes, I just suck at being a good friend. I get busy and forget to check on my family. Or perhaps, I do not know enough Bible or Jesus stuff to make a difference. I fumble over where this verse is located in the Bible, but it is really good so you should find it. I also struggled with fear of not meeting expectations. I have battled with thoughts of insecurity and not being enough for everyone in every situation. I struggled with what the world expected from me. I let this keep me from growing in my faith. I fell into a spiritual rut and I Let myself live there way too long.
I let fear sneak in and steal my joy. I let the superficial idea of what others think about me tear me down. I have struggled with feeling that I am not enough. I have felt like I am a failure and I am failing those I love. I have struggled with measuring up to expectations that I have concocted in my head. I could not help but to think I am messing up my kids because I got angry and yelled. I lost my temper with my husband over something foolish and I am now a terrible wife.
I quit praying. I quit reading my Bible. I just quit. I felt defeated at every turn. I did not find time to rest in the presence of God. I mean truly rest in Him. And then came my tribe. My tribe who are praying for me behind the scenes. My tribe who love me through all life’s ups and downs. My tribe who pushed me to grow in my relationship with God. They send worship songs that are perfectly timed to address the current struggle. Totally a God-thing! My tribe encourages me to find rest in HIS presence. Rest did not mean sleep. It went that I purposefully spent time in the presence of God. I read my Bible. I prayed. Most nights, I would fall asleep praying. I worshiped. I confided in faith-filled friends who encouraged me to remain in His presence.
Well friends, here is some truth. YOU ARE ENOUGH. Hey you in the back row, let me say it again, YOU ARE ENOUGH! You are the wife or husband that your partner needs. You are the God-chosen parent for your kids. Godly friends get it and you. They love you for you. God will use you just as you are to reach people. We all know that he equips those he calls.
The Bible leaves no doubt that we are enough through the blood of Jesus. 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, My grace is made perfect in weakness” This verse! It says it all. God’s grace is sufficient. His grace surrounds you in a time of weakness. If we could just pause and soak in this verse. Jesus is there in times of deep sorrow and heart ache. He is there when we feel like we are not enough. It is through his grace and mercy that we are set free from doubt and we are made whole and “enough” this HIS unfailing love.
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10. We need to allow ourselves to be set free and made anew through Christ so we can go about being the feet on the ground. It is time to get to work. A new year is upon us and the body of Christ needs to continue the amazing work of the Church.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for me.” Colossians 3:23
I encourage you to stop and take some time and to pause to reflect on these verses. When life knocks you down, reflect on His words. Through Him, we are enough. He meets us where we are and provides what we need; to be who He created us to be. We need friends that will pray for us. Seriously, if you are a follower of Christ, then these words should speak life into you and into your situations.
Let’s change our patterns and turn our greatest insecurities, our fears of not being enough, our struggles and our brokenness into our testimonies to reach others.