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You are NOT enough

3/5/2013

8 Comments

 
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Photo source: PostSecret.com
I've noticed a trend lately. It's all over the place: pop music lyrics, Christian blogs, commercials, countless times on Pinterest.

It goes a little something like this:
You are amazing.
You are perfectly imperfect.
You are enough.


It's a mantra often touted by teenagers & those who don't quite fit in. It's also seeped over into the feminine world, as a banner of self-love, self-acceptance, and self-sufficiency.
I'm here to point out the gaping hole in that banner.

You are NOT enough. And, that's the good news. You need His grace, love, and mercy to see you through each day. You can't do it on your own.

When you surrender your life to Him, He sees you as cloaked in righteousness.  But that doesn't mean you give the world the cold shoulder for not accepting you as you are.

What it means is that the broken areas, the places where your selfishness gives you trouble.  You have the power, through the Holy Spirit, to change your imperfections into ways that glorify and magnify Him.

It's a road marked with discomfort and displeasure. To constantly deny the flesh is stinking tough.

Yet, admitting my weaknesses, that I am really not enough, allows me to drop my guard and stop putting so much energy into maintaining a facade.

Acknowledging that I'm not enough allows me to be more honest, more vulnerable, and more transparent. It allows me to be more fully myself. It also creates space and breathing room for others to feel free to be themselves when they are with me.

Please don't buy into the lies that you are enough. It will actually lead to more disappointment, more self-doubt, and more frustration with yourself and the world around you.

But stand firm on this - He has made you unique. He has intimately crafted you to exude awesomeness in your own way. But sometimes you get in the way of you. Allow Him in to show you what needs to change. Allow Him to sift through your baggage and remove the hate, bitterness, and resentments that so often stop you in the middle of your day.

The beauty of lacking the power to do it all on my own is that it creates room for His completion and redemption. And that is more than enough.

What area of your life do you need to accept is simply not enough?

What place is a welcome seat for the Savior to reign supreme and take care of that which you no longer can control?

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About Keri

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Most days Keri can be found cruising in her Swagger Wagon, reading a good book, or laughing with friends over large cups of coffee.  She finds great fulfillment in serving those who might not walk through the doors of a church, but still desperately need the Hope that only God can give.  She also enjoys learning about God through unorthodox means, and occasionally blogs about it at Pop Parables.  She also gets in touch with her creative side at BringingCraftyBack. Keri lives in the Greater Seattle area with her husband, their three boys, and 2 weiner pups.

Sharing this article over at these awesome blogs.
8 Comments
Selena Campbell link
3/6/2013 02:38:16 am

What an amazingly wonderful and timely post. Thank you SO very much! I struggle with feeling "less-than" and not good enough, not only with my husband (because of my past and other issues) but with homeschooling my children and in other areas of my life.

I love this: "Yet, admitting my weaknesses, that I am really not enough, allows me to drop my guard and stop putting so much energy into maintaining a facade."

How true! And maybe that is why so many of us ladies are always so very tired all the time?

Thanks again, for sharing!

Reply
Keri
3/8/2013 01:55:04 am

Selena..thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I think especially in areas of mommyhood, we try so hard to do it all and be everything, which only amounts to a mountain of guilt. Letting go of that guilt allows me to actually engage with my husband, my boys' grandparents, even my friends, to say, "Hey, I would love your help because I'm just not enough!" :)

Reply
Angela R link
3/8/2013 03:45:43 pm

Keri - your God-given insight never ceases to amaze me.

How many times have I heard the phrase "you are enough" and accepted it without really thinking about the implications? It also makes me wonder- what other "feel good" and even "Christian-y" phrases do we pass around without weighing them against what God's Word tells us?

Well said, friend. You've challenged me today - and encouraged me in the process that it's OK to be not imperfectly perfect - but just imperfect - because His grace is sufficient.

Reply
Keri
3/9/2013 12:25:38 am

Thank you for your kind words, Ang!

It is so interesting to me how our thinking can be twisted by the untruths that surround us on a daily basis. We definitely need to be aware of what we are basing our thoughts and actions upon. This thinking in particular I feel is based on pride, and we all know what comes after that. Eek!

You honed in on exactly the verse I was considering when writing this..."And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." II Cor 12:9

Reply
Jamie link
3/11/2013 05:03:16 am

You are absolutely right. Thank you for this sweet reminder!

Reply
Keri
3/14/2013 07:39:24 am

May you find strength in Him today, Jamie! :)

Reply
Beth Jensen
3/11/2013 11:17:00 am

LOL! I'm laughing because this is the third time I've heard this same message today! And Wednesday night's sermon was on this topic as well. God is certainly not being vague. :)

Reply
Keri
3/14/2013 07:38:13 am

It's okay, Beth, sometimes He has to knock me upside the head with a message, too. Glad you can laugh about that! :)

Reply



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