"I will never be good enough."

Ouch.

I've struggled with this for a long time. "I will never be good enough." And, ever since I began striving to be better, began actively studying the bible, God has taken my hand and slowly, gently, began to show me the truth.

I've believed a lot of lies.

This is one of them.

I have a funny issue. I will believe something about myself, and part of me will know it's wrong, but part of me will keep whispering, "No, it's true. It's so true."

And I won't fully, truly understand how wrong it is until someone else tells me that same lie in application to themselves. Then I see the dirtiness of the lie, the wrongness of it, and say, "NO! That is NOT true. Here's why ..." and then, when I'm not emotionally connected to it, when I'm not taking it in application to me and I'm finding the answer for another person, the truth comes to light. Hopefully for both of us.

In this case, I have Grace to thank. She commented on my last post saying that she didn't feel her writing was "good enough". Before that comment, I had no idea what I was going to post about. I've learned so much in June, I didn't know where to go next. So I prayed for something that would uplift and encourage. God never fails, does He?

(Thank you, Grace. I hope you don't mind me mentioning your comment! <3 )

Do you believe this?

This is a tricky lie. See, in some ways, it is true. But in others, it is sooooo so wrong.

It all depends on this question: What is our definition of "good enough"?

There are two ways you can take this (actually, there are probably more but I'm going to handle two different ways today).

Here's the first.




In this aspect of the "never good enough" issue, you are under the impression that you can never be "good enough" in regards to earning your salvation and deserving God's love.

In this case, you are right. You can't. You can not earn your salvation. Your salvation is a gift from our loving Father. Nothing you will ever do can make you deserving of that.

BUT. (here's the catch)

You don't have to be good enough. You don't have to be perfect, because you CAN'T be perfect. Not on your own, at least.

The New Testament talks a lot about being "perfect". But what does that mean? Matthew 5:48 says, "Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

What does that mean? How can we be perfect like God?

We can't. BUT. We can.

Hehe. Ehem. Allow me to explain.

We can't. Not on our own. But since Jesus died, and his blood continually washes our sins away as we walk in His light (1 John 1:7-9) we are perfect. We are perfect and pure and holy so that we can stand before God, blameless and clean.

But not by our own deeds. Only by Jesus can we be "good enough".

So yes, you can never be good enough. Not on your own. So the good news is, you don't have to be. You just have to do your best. Which leads to the second way you can take this lie.

The second way you take this lie is by thinking you can't be good enough in regards to, "My writing will never be good enough" or "I will never be good enough at sports" or just plain, "I will never be good enough."

And if you're just taking that lie like that, then ... You're wrong.

IF. (here's the catch to this lie)

If you are being the best you can be in the moment you are living, then you are good enough. If you are trying your hardest, if you are being the best you you can possibly be, then you ARE good enough. You are being as good as you can be. And that is enough.

Why torture and hate yourself for not being more than you can be in the moment you are living? If I write a story, and I edit it until it shines with all the skill I am capable of, then -- in THAT MOMENT -- I have done the best I can.

And that is enough.

I can't do more. Not yet. I will grow as the days pass, and more so as months follow. And when years have gone by, and I am in college, or I am out of school and have a job, I will be better than I was today, but I will still be growing. I will never stop growing.

There is no mark I can hit where I can say, "Okay! That's enough! I am exactly at the place I want to be so I can just stop trying now." That can't happen. Why are you hating yourself because you are not who you can't be?

If you are doing your best, then you are your best. And that's what we've got to do. That's what we're aiming for and striving for. To live lives worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1-2), always striving to be the best we can be.

We all mess up. We all constantly fall short and make mistakes. But if you're being as good as you can be, then you are good enough.