You Are Not Enough

“You are enough.”

 This is a lie that we are fed daily in our lives, especially on social media.

If only we could get up earlier, buy this planner, take this course, or be more like our Facebook friends who seem to have it all together. Then things would be better. We would be more organized, be a better mother, our kids would behave better, get better grades etc.

It all sounds so simple.

But whatever we try, it doesn’t work. Maybe for a few days, but not long term.

The truth is, we are NOT enough.

We never will be.

We will never be the perfect wife, mother, student, employee, or friend. We cannot do it all. Trying on our own will just leave us empty and burned out.

But there is One who is enough. That is Jesus.

When Jesus walked on the earth, He never once sinned even though He went through hardships, temptations, and other human experiences. He led a perfect life so that He could be the sacrifice that would bring about God’s forgiveness for the rest of us. He always knew the right thing to say or do. He knew that the rest of us would never be perfect, but He loved us anyway. He forgave the sinners, healed the sick that no one else was willing to touch and reached out to the ones who needed Him the most.

“Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.  I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” (Luke 5:31-32 NLT)

When we fail because we try to do it all ourselves, which we inevitably will, we can reach out to Him, and He will help us. When a situation with the kids is out of control, step away and pray for wisdom and the right words. If you are faced with a big decision, ask Him what you should do first – instead of planning it all out on your own.

Jesus promises to help us when we are stuck and struggling. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”. (Matthew 11:28 NLT). In Proverbs it also says, “Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take” (Proverbs 3:6 NLT).

There have been many times in my life that I have tried to take charge and forge ahead with my own plan for my life. I was raised in church, but only because my mother dragged me there. I sat through the sermons and repeated the words the priest said to the congregation, but I had no understanding of or relationship with Jesus.

I wandered away for a long time and did my best to make a success of my life, although looking back I had no idea what that meant. I know now that God had different plans for me. He didn’t want me in a corporate job or to be a business owner. He wanted me to seek Him.

I have traveled a long way to get to where I am, and if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have the family I do today. But I see now that all my adventures and failures were stepping stones that brought me to the point that the only One who could help me was Jesus. He taught me some hard lessons along the way.

Sometimes we feel like the Israelites wandering the desert with no idea where we are going. We feel like if we just planned our days better, could discipline our kids or ourselves better, or take time for self-care, we would get it under control. The Israelites were lost in the desert for years and kept looking for a quick fix to their problems. They could not see what God was trying to teach them – to let Him be in control. 

When Moses took too long on the mountain, they told Aaron “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:1 NLT). They tried taking control of the situation.

They were not enough.

You are NOT enough.

But Jesus is.

No matter what you are struggling with, He can help you. You just need to ask Him. Go to Him humbly and admit defeat, He will lift you up and give you what you need. We are not the Israelites lost and wandering.  Because we have Jesus in our hearts through His sacrifice, we no longer have to guess what God wants from us – we can go to Him and ask Him like a friend.  He may not answer straight away, but we know that He is working for our good (Romans 8:28) and He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of our wickedness (1 John 1:9).  For everyone who asks, receives.  Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8 NLT).  Sometimes we just need to seek God’s will and wait, and in the meantime, do our best to bloom where we are planted.

Mel Eyler