The Truth About Not Being Enough (And Why It Brings Freedom)

Let me tell you something that may not be so popular or encouraging to hear: You, yes, you, are NOT enough.

But, you know what? There is a way to be enough. The cost was high. But, the price was paid.

In a world that often demands us to reflect perfection, success, and constant striving for more, the feeling that I am not enough is disheartening. I find myself chasing after achievements, validation, and approval of others, hoping that one day I will finally arrive. But the truth is, on my own, I will always fall short.

However, there is hope. The message of the Gospel tells me that my enoughness does not come from my own efforts or accomplishments. It comes from something greater, something beyond myself. It comes from Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.

Through his death and resurrection, Jesus offers me a way to be enough. He took upon himself the weight of my imperfections, my mistakes, and my shortcomings. He paid the price that I could never pay on my own. In his righteousness, I find my enoughness.

So, here’s the deal. My enoughness* comes as a result of receiving Jesus’ righteousness, His death on the cross.

You may be reading these words and wondering, so “how do I experience this type of enoughness?” Great question! Let’s consider these truths to consider from Colossians 2:9-15:

We are forgiven by Christ.

Culture is hard sometimes. We live in world that wants you to believe that you are perfect. No one should judge you or tell you any differently. There is no need for forgiveness.

In reality, we are a mess. We battle anxiety, stress, and exhaustion. We lack resilience, wisdom, and critical thinking skills. I would like to suggest that our mess is a result of sin. My sin, your sin, and the sin of others you pass every day. There is only one solution…seeking forgiveness. There is only one way to forgiveness…trusting Jesus.

Our debt was canceled by Christ.

Once we trust Jesus, he takes our sin and cancels our debt. He does all of the work for us.

Imagine that! You mess up, and Jesus comes along and fixes your mess ups for you. You have no role in that fix! (All you fixers out there may find this uncomfortable…but that is a blog for another day.) You job is to accept the help, work, gift that Christ offers.

Know that he went to the cross for you. His death on the cross was to cancel your debt, to fix your mess, to give you a way to be enough.

We are given new life in Christ, which is more than enough.

As he takes our sin, our old way of living is buried. We are new, created new, becoming new…we are becoming enough!

The next time someone makes you feel like you are not enough (or even too much), it’s okay to know that it’s true. By yourself, you aren’t enough, but it’s okay when we know the work of the cross. We have been given a new life.

Rest in Jesus and remind yourself that you are complete through your union with Christ. And that is more than enough!

*I’m not sure enoughness is a word, but it should be!

Journaling

If you’ve made it to the end, I want to encourage you to take some time to journal about the feelings these words may have brought. If you aren’t sure how to journal, answer these questions:

1. What are you feeling?
2. Why do you feel this way?
3. What does scripture say about this? (Check out the PDF below. Feel free to print it on sticker paper to add scripture and art to your journaling.)
4. Based on that scriptural truth, do you have a renewed thought? (What do you think now?)
5. Pray.